TULSA, Okla. — Experts in Tulsa's homelessness and housing spaces held a panel, discussing the ongoing crisis with affordable housing crisis.
They called on developers and builders to take stake in their community.
Among the panel, Housing Forward's Tyler Parette, Housing Solution's Mark Smith, Tulsa Day Center's Mack Haltom and the City of Tulsa's Emily Hall. The leaders tied the increase in Tulsa's rising homeless population to the overwhelming shortage of affordable places to live.
WATCH: Affordable housing an immediate need:
“We need to be building affordable housing tomorrow, and we need to keep building it through the next several years," said Parette. "I think when people think about affordable housing they think vouchers, they say they think subsidies, but the reality is many people on a median income in our community, teachers, firemen, people that are retired are in desperate need of housing that is affordable and achievable."
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Although dedicated teams all across the city work overtime to find and even create more homes for those in need, it's a struggle to keep up with the demand.
“There’s immediate needs now for people to get off the streets," said Haltom. "Our shelters are full in Tulsa, including the [Tulsa] Day Center.”
Earnie Rouse knows this complex game well.
“I live on a very limited income,$1200 a month," said Rouse. "If my rent was not so inexpensive, I wouldn’t have nothing. I would be back on the street.”
He was homeless in Tulsa for four years after his family fell apart.
Rouse connected with the Day Center and found his own home at Hudson Villas. He's happily called the complex home for nine years.
“I checked around other places, the only place that you can find to rent a house is like 700 and up," said Rouse. "This is so affordable. I’m able to live.”
That lack of shelters and homes for an affordable price point is the reason so many of Rouse's friends are still homeless, he said.
“I’ve had people tell me they would love to come in, but they can’t afford $700 a month because a lot of them are out there on the street because either mental illness, social anxiety or just no income," said Rouse.
As the number of housing units needed in Tulsa grows from 13,000, Parette and Smith pleaded with developers and stakeholders to get involved in their fight.
Simultaneously, they acknowledged this effort is going to take time.
“The challenging aspect of this entire issue is that homelessness does happen overnight," said Parette. "We are fighting an issue that happens very fast and is very volatile, with a solution that is very slow.”
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The city and these partners are working to make development with a quicker process, with things like pre-approved construction plans, they say it's going to take a community wide effort to make a change.
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