Down in the Underground beneath downtown Oklahoma City, a reimagined "Hope Booth" quietly opened last Friday, offering a private three-minute pause for anyone whose day is going off the rails. Step inside, and you get guided breathwork and brief, encouraging audio designed to steady the moment, then a nudge toward real-world help nearby. A ribbon-cutting marked the opening of the Yellow Hall kiosk, which will be available during the Underground’s regular public hours.
As reported by KGOU, the booth serves up a three-minute experience that blends breathing exercises with short messages of hope, then connects users to roughly 20 categories of support located within about a five-mile radius. According to the outlet, Oklahoma City is the 39th community worldwide to host a Hope Booth.
How the booth works
Founder Gloria Umanah, who created Hope Booth after her own mental health struggles, told KOCO the installation is meant to "eliminate the mental striving" people face when they are trying to find help. The organization describes a "Hope Meter" that tailors one of about 19 short "hope messages" to a visitor’s responses and then pairs that moment with practical local referrals, according to the group’s website at Hope Booth.
Local partners and hours
VisitOKC reports that corporate sponsor Simple Modern helped underwrite the Oklahoma City installation and notes that local partners see the kiosk as a good fit for the Underground’s calmer corridors. Officials say the booth will be open to the public Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Downtown OKC Partnership staff have encouraged workers and visitors to treat it as an easy-to-reach, in-the-moment resource.
Why it matters in Oklahoma City
Recent federal data show Oklahoma’s age-adjusted suicide rate near 21 deaths per 100,000, higher than the national average, a metric public health officials frequently cite when pushing for low-barrier mental health supports. According to CDC/NCHS data, cost, insurance gaps and other socioeconomic barriers keep many people from getting care, and organizers say the kiosk is meant to make help easier to find in the places people already pass through every day.
If you or someone you know is struggling, call 988 or visit 988Oklahoma.com for immediate support. For maps and access details about the Underground and the Yellow Hall entrance (nearest street access at Broadway and Robert S. Kerr Ave), see the Downtown OKC Partnership’s Underground page.
