TULSA, Okla. — A new executive order is designed to meet Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols’ goal of reaching functional zero homelessness by 2030.
With nearly 1,400 people experiencing homelessness in Tulsa, according to the 2024 Point in Time County, the mayor says his goal of getting to rare, brief, and non-recurring homelessness, called functional zero, is vital.
“Get people from outside,” said Mayor Monroe Nichols. “Get them to a transitional space. Get them served well and get them on to a better life.
The executive order signed on March 11 is designed to do that starting with Mayor Nichols plans to create an Encampment Decommissioning Team.
Encampment Decommissioning Team Goals:
- In 30 days, the team will be created using employees from existing departments.
- The team will safely and efficiently relocate unhoused people from encampments to partner providers, provide encampment cleanup, and dissolve the site from further use.
- The team will work with "A Way Home for Tulsa" and tribal partners to support people who will be relocated.
- City will use an internal mobile app to provide real-time data about encampment locations, occupancy and footprint, which will be used to assist the encampment decommissioning team.
Senior Advisor for the Homeless, Emily Hall, says some unhoused Tulsans will end up at the soon-to-be Residential Care Center at 3910 N Park Road near Mohawk Park.
“There will be a portion of the rooms, of the 59 rooms, that will be used for decommissioning of encampments,” said Emily Hall.
2 News told you on March 10 when City Lights Foundation, the group tasked with running the Residential Care Center, pulled out from the project.
Local News
City Lights steps away from operating Residential Care Center
In a statement, the non-profit said in part, “The city’s goals and priorities for this program have evolved. To stay true to our mission and the commitments we made, we’ve made the difficult decision to step away from operating the facility.”
“My priorities haven’t changed,” said Mayor Nichols when 2 News asked him to respond to City Lights statement.
“My priority is on the decommissioning work that we’re going to do," he said.
Mayor Nichols says it doesn’t change their plans to help homeless people at the Residential Care Center.
“It has zero impact on our work moving forward,” said Mayor Nichols.
The city will also focus on creating a Winter Weather Shelter.
Winter weather shelter goals:
- In 90 days, Mayor will present a plan to implement a winter weather shelter to serve people in need of safety and warmth during November-March.
- It'll be Tulsa's first winter weather shelter open for extended use not for a specific weather event.
- During the last winter weather event, 1,457 people were sheltered at several locations around the city and there's a 100% utilization of emergency shelter beds during severe weather events.
2 News was at the Rose Bowl earlier this year when frigid temperatures and dangerous wind chills drove more than 1,400 homeless people inside.
“It saved people’s lives,” said Mayor Nichols.
The new winter weather shelter would be open from November through March every year.
It’s part of the plan to increase shelter capacity, the next goal of the executive order.
Increase shelter capacity goal:
- In 90 days, Mayor will present plans for an expansion of shelter capacity to meet the needs of unsheltered Tulsans.
- The increased shelter space will provide access to social services and housing navigation assistance.
- The 2024 Point in Time survey identified 1,389 people experiencing homelessness.
- 73% of people responding to Point in Time survey reported first experiencing homelessness in Tulsa.
- City plans to open a true low barrier shelter
- Available to people who might not otherwise avoid or not be accepted into tradition shelters or transitional living facilities.
- That's in addition to the residential care center near Mohawk Park
Mayor Nichols says the ideal is at least three new shelters; the Winter Weather Shelter, the Residential Care Center near Mohawk Park, and a true Low Barrier Shelter.
“This is about the capacity to change outcomes for people and that takes all of us to do it,” said Mayor Nichols.
Mayor Nichols also ways to help keep people in their homes by establishing the Mayor’s Coalition on Eviction Mitigation.
Mayor's Coalition on eviction mitigation goal:
- In 90 days, the city will create the Mayor's coalition on eviction mitigation to review strategies and implement changes based on real-time data.
- City will work with Landlord Tenant Resource Center, eviction strategy troup, eviction data working group to identify opportunities to strengthen the city's involvement in eviction prevention and develop additional strategies.
- City will be an active partner in underlying causes of eviction and provide support to vulnerable tenants before they face homelessness.
- As of November 2024, 2,600 Tulsa Public Schools students identified as homeless.
- Over the last three years, nearly 4,400 evictions were filed against families of students who attend Tulsa Public Schools.
Mayor Nichols says there are some staggering statistics involving evictions that need to change.
“I believe we are currently 11th in the country in evictions,” said Mayor Monroe Nichols. “We cannot continue down that path.”
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