TULSA, Okla. — In the newest 'Path to Home' initiative, the City of Tulsa is going to publish permit-ready housing construction plans to speed up housing development across Green Country.
It's a critical piece to the homelessness issue in Tulsa; not enough beds for those in need. When there are enough beds, those who need them can't afford them.
Mayor GT Bynum shared the plans to Facebook on Aug. 5.
2 News spoke to one Tulsan looking for rental assistance at the Iron Gate, “I was paying him $650, and the place I was moving into is $1,173. And that’s a studio.”
This new initiative cuts the permit wait-time out of the development equation entirely, and gets people into housing faster.
These plans need to be reviewed for building code compliance.
Housing Solutions CEO Mark Smith said this is a step in the right direction.
“Certainly the opportunity where we can create some faster pathways for housing development, whether it’s single family where a person or a family can build or own their own home, whether it’s developing apartment complexes for people of all incomes… it’s really going to take everything.”
This year's Point-In-Time count showed Tulsa needs approximately 1,500 more beds to curb the homeless issue in the city.
Affordable housing development could be one answer to the complex problem. The new Path to Home initiative allows for more of those properties to go up in less time.
Smith acknowledged the permitting process is essential, but it's not always user-friendly. He said eliminating having to go through the permitting process could make a real difference.
"I don't know if you've ever filed for a permit before, but sometimes it can be very much hit or miss how long it's going to take, there can be a lot of questions there's a lot of back and forth," said Smith. “If you’re trying to build your own home, and if you’re trying to schedule contractors, you’re trying to plan your moving, long wait times can be really really painful, and really costly.”
As of right now, there are more than 50 city wide strategies in place to attack the housing shortage.
This latest one, Smith said, can only help.
“It’s gonna save people money, it’s going to make things more efficient for builders, right, so they can schedule their jobs, and ultimately I think it means more housing gets built which is what Tulsa really needs.”
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