OKMULGEE, Okla. — Dozens of people in Okmulgee will have to move after the Creek Nation Foundation ended its Section 8 contract at Creek Nation Elderly Housing.
Neighbors are worried they’ll have no other place to go.
Reading through scripture is what you’ll typically find Raymond Kaase doing, and on a week like this one, he says it’s more important than ever.
“Stressed and it’s a big worry and a burden,” said Kaase.
He got a letter saying the Creek Nation Foundation voted not to renew its Section 8 contract at Creek Nation Elderly Housing, and residents are encouraged to move before March 31, 2026.
Several neighbors say there are 100 units at the complex, and every resident got the same letter telling them they’d need to move.
“It hurts my heart to see these things going on,” said Kaase.
Kaase moved to the complex two years ago after a workplace accident and subsequent surgeries left him unemployed. He says he’s found community at the complex.
“This is our family,” said Kaase. “We’d hate to lose each other.
He’s also concerned that there won’t be anywhere else to go. Even though HUD plans to provide housing vouchers starting in December, he says there aren’t many options in town, especially at his current price point.
He pays $475 of his nearly $700 monthly rent. HUD covers the gap and water.
“When you’re alone, it just feels like the whole world is pushing you out,” said Kaase. “They don’t want you."
He’s #97 on the waiting list for another complex in town. It’s nearly a year and a half's wait.
“It’s really hard,” said Kaase.
What’s most frustrating for Kaase is that they don’t know why this is happening, so 2 News reached out to the Muscogee Creek Nation.
Here's the statement they gave us:
“It is not owned by the Muscogee Nation, we do not manage the facility, nor do we make management decisions regarding to day-to-day operations, but it is our land. For many years, the property has not been updated. In many respects, it is simply past the point of repair, and so with the contract up for renewal, this was an opportunity for us to explore options there.
MCN is exploring all avenues in regards to the property. MCN attorneys have researched the current status of the property to best benefit the MCN and our citizens. We have worked with HUD to provide the tenants with a one year extension to relocate.”
For Kaase and other neighbors, they just feel forgotten.
“It hurts,” said Kaase. “It really does.”
In the letter, the complex said it’s working to get housing vouchers before December, so people have more time to find housing before the March deadline.
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