TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa leaders detailed plans for the next initiative to address homelessness.
“I’m very very excited about this big step,” Mayor Monroe Nichols said.
Tulsa’s ‘next big step’ is called Safe Move Tulsa.
WATCH: NEW DETAILS: Tulsa leaders outline 'Safe Move Tulsa' plan for homelessness
The $6 million investment, pending city council approval, will get at least 300 homeless Tulsans into housing and on a path to betterment, at least for twelve months. Leaders are waiting for results before deciding on a plan for the following twelve months.
2 NEWS HAD IT FIRST >>> 2 News Oklahoma's Brodie Myers told viewers about the plans before they were made public
“It’s really based on outcomes,” Mayor Nichols said, “It’s kind of putting folks on a 12-month track, to become self-sustaining, and that’s our goal right? So to the extent that works, we wanna continue it, we want to double-down.”
2 News’ Brodie Myers listened to Linda Trujillo, shortly after leaders detailed their plans.
“I think that would be awesome. I think that it would be safer for
everybody if they had a place to live,” Trujillo said.
THE PLAN: STEP BY STEP
- Teams will create a care plan for the people placed in housing.
- Teams and people will secure a lease.
- Teams will help people move into their new place.
- Teams will create a set of goals to match within the housing period.
- The city will pay 12 months rent
Nichols says the city is taking a unique approach, but looking to cities like Denver, Colorado and Houston, Texas for models.
“What’s interesting, if you look at those cities … you’re not going to go to Houston or Denver and not see anybody who is unhoused. You’re still going to see portions of that, but the strategies do work. The reality though is that they’re also expensive,” Nichols said.
According to reporting from the Denver Post, the City of Denver spent $150 million on homelessness in 2024.
Reporting at the Houston Chronicle shows spending of $70 million in Houston in 2024.
Emily Hall, the mayor’s senior adviser on homelessness, says city leaders are strategizing, “with a focus on long-term stability, and preventing returns to homelessness.”
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