ABOUT US
The focus of Danielle's Place is to house, educate and provide for teenage girls between the ages of 16 and 18 who are currently living outside of their legal guardian's home or facing hardship in such an environment that prohibits the healthy development of the teenager.
The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness reports that between the school years 2004-05 and 2022-23 the number of students identified by public school districts as experiencing homelessness increased by 104% nation wide. In Oklahoma, there were 23,538 homeless students identified during the 2022-23 school year. This is an increase of over 2000 students from the year before.
Youth who are concerned about where they will sleep, what they will eat, where they will find clean clothes, or if the person next to them can smell them are not worried about their grades or the test coming up on Friday. Some of these youths have no one to teach them to drive or to sign for a permit. Youth who are facing hardships will have to spend their 20's still trying to figure out the system. We are here to relieve some of these concerns so they can focus on bettering themselves. We want to teach them how to be a productive member of society and how to find value in self.
With the growth of this organization and the help from our community we hope to one day open a larger facility that will enable us to house both boys and girls between the ages of 13 and 18.
OUR TEAM
Ikeya Barker,
Founder and CEO, Chair President
Ikeya Barker is a mother of 5 with a Bachelor's in Business Administration from Langston University. She is a teacher in the Sand Springs School District. She has served over 7 years in children's ministry, assisted in nonprofit startups, and takes pride in volunteering for community events. Danielle's Place is a seed of our vision to impact and empower our youth. She was a teen in need who found herself extremely grateful for
Jaxon Landrum,
Board Member
Jaxon Landrum is a native of northeastern Oklahoma and born in Bartlesville, OK. He is alumni of Nathan Hale High School and study Public Affairs Administration at the University of Oklahoma. As a youth, he served on the board of American Red Cross. Over the last fourteen years, he has worked at Enterprise Holdings in a leadership position.
Heather Smethers,
Vice Chair of the Board
Heather Smethers is a mother of one child. Heather is a certified medical assistant for a total of 10 years and worked in Pain Management. Heather supports Danielle's Place because it stands for what she loves to do the most, help people. Heather wants to be a part of changing lives.
Heather Kitchen,
Secretary of the Board
Heather Kitchen is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker at OU Health Physicians and a graduate of the University of Oklahoma. She has been practicing in the mental health field for many years and enjoys working with children and teens. Heather supports Danielle's Place because she believes that providing safety and hope to a child can change families for generations to come.
Matthias Kitchen,
Treasurer of the Board
Matthias Kitchen has a passion for equipping individuals to become self-sufficient, successful members of society who will go on to make positive contributions to our communities. He has had the honor of serving the citizens of Oklahoma since 2007 in various public service roles. He currently serves as an operations director within Oklahoma’s workforce system. He brings his experience working with grants and overseeing multi-million-dollar budgets to his position as Treasurer of Danielle’s Home, ensuring that fiscal responsibility is a core principle of the organization. He believes that investing in people, particularly the up-and-coming generations are the best investments we can make.
Danielle's Place Inc, DBA Danielle's Home, is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
Registered since 2021. EIN# 87-2418606. Donations are tax deductible.