TULSA, Okla. — Over the last four weeks, 2 News has been flooded with calls from Tulsa Housing Authority clients looking for help.
Whether it was a late inspection, spotty communication, or not receiving their rental vouchers, these Tulsans who rely on the housing organization for support have reached out and said they are receiving the opposite.
A few of these cases have been resolved, but the pattern has been going on since early August.
First, Deborah Jones reached out to us about her housing issue.
The 71-year-old has lived in her North Tulsa home for three decades and received THA support all that time.
Her landlord didn't keep up with her property, so she failed her housing inspection, which put her housing voucher with the agency in jeopardy.
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"It’s a heartbreaking thing. I’m 72, I shouldn’t have to go through this, I didn’t do one thing wrong," said Jones. "They're going to create a whole new wave of homelessness."
THA's solution was to give Jones a new voucher, but that would require her to move. The senior Tulsan said she had nowhere to go and didn't think she would survive moving.
A week later, on Aug. 14, Melissa Wynn reached out.
“I need to be in my apartment by Friday, or I’m homeless, and I’m out on the streets," she said.
She was staying in a hotel and running out of money, because of a delay in her home inspection that needed to be completed by THA.
For weeks, Wynn said, she called, emailed, and even went to the Tulsa Housing Authority to ask when they'd do the inspection but felt all she got was the run-around.
2 News called on behalf of Melissa, and the inspection was completed on time.
On Aug. 23, Sunflower called 2 News for help, after she failed her inspection because of a dead animal in her ceiling that was not being addressed by apartment management, THA or her landlord.
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Sunflower was given the same solution that Jones was, a moving voucher.
However, Tulsan's concern was that they didn't have the funds to hire movers or get assistance finding a new place to live.
2 News reached out to THA for Sunflower's case, and their case worker called in the middle of our interview.
THA told Sunflower that they did in fact pass their inspection, and they sent someone out to remove the animal within hours.
“I think the importance should be that it ends with me and that nobody else should ever have to deal with this kind of situation ever again," they said.
But it didn't.
Veteran Derek Tomblinson reached out for help one week later, on Aug. 30.
He also receives rental support through THA. The veteran moved into his new apartment in June, yet he had not received one of his rental payments by then.
“The last response that my landlord has gotten from Tulsa Housing Authority was on June 26th.”
Tomblinson told us after our interview that his landlord had heard from THA, and they were working on getting his case sorted out.
Four Tulsans, facing different issues, but all with the Tulsa Housing Authority.
2 News has reached out to THA a number of times, and gotten very little back as to why these problems continue and only get addressed when we pick up the phone.
We sent THA an email on Sept. 3 to ask if there was something keeping them from serving Tulsans as effectively as they would like.
Other questions 2 News asked Tulsa Housing Authority
1. Is THA facing staffing shortages or problems?
2. How have staff numbers fluctuated over the last year five years?
3. What kind of funding does THA receive?
4. What do you want us to tell people when they haven’t heard from anyone in over two months, but we can get their housing problem solved inside of a day?
THA responded with this statement:
Tulsa Housing Authority (THA) serves almost 14,000 Tulsans annually, including more than 4,300 living in THA properties and more than 5,700 households utilizing a Section 8 housing voucher. Additionally, THA’s investment in affordable housing since 2018 exceeds $440 million. THA has achieved High Performer status from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) for the administration of our voucher programs. The High Performer status is the highest rating from HUD to a public housing agency (PHA) for financial management, operations and regulatory compliance. THA will continue to pursue our mission of creating a better Tulsa by transforming lives and communities.
They did not answer any of our questions directly.
THA's 2023 annual report did not have any information on personnel but did have some financial specifics.
Their total revenue and contributions for the year were more than $104 million.
THA spent more than $16.2 million that same year on housing operations and administration.
As of Aug. 29, the agency has nearly 69,000 applications on its waitlist for rental support vouchers and properties.
2 News contacted THA President and CEO Aaron Darden directly but did not hear back.
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