TULSA, Okla. — By unanimous vote, Tulsa County commissioners agreed to sell the vacant, former juvenile detention center building to the City of Tulsa for $500,000.
The City of Tulsa plans to open a 24/7 homeless shelter.
It’s a deal that took months of negotiations.
More shelter space was a goal from the beginning for Mayor Monroe Nichols.
“Back in March [2025], I issued an executive order that really outlined… our priorities on the issue. One of those was to increase our shelter capacity,” he told 2 News on Nov. 5.
The west Tulsa facility will be used for a low-barrier shelter, meaning there are minimal requirements to get to stay there.
Local News
Deal settled to open low-barrier homeless shelter in former detention center
Generally, sobriety or background checks are not required in these types of facilities. Specific rules for this one are unknown, or, possibly undecided.
Initially, commissioners had safety concerns because the county owns a family shelter next door.
Tulsa County Commission Chair Lonnie Sims says the two sides worked through it.
“We got some additional security measures we felt comfortable would give us that for our people, our kids, at the facility—an opportunity to protect them,” said Sims.
Aside from safety, the city and county also disagreed on the value of the property and caused a temporary rift in negotiations.
“It was a collaboration—through the process, it’s not always pretty how we negotiate, but it’s important we get a solution for the city, the county and the community,” said Sims.
Local News
Tulsa city, county in $18M disagreement over homeless shelter donation
Coming together is important for future projects, but particularly this one: an $18 million gift from the Zarrow Foundation was in jeopardy without this deal.
A completion date goal is late 2026.
Emily Hall, the Mayor’s Senior Advisor of Homelessness, sent this statement:
“The City is grateful for the Board of County Commissioners’ unanimous approval to sell the old juvenile justice center to the City of Tulsa. This is one more step in the process to opening a much-needed low barrier homeless shelter in Tulsa. Together, we will continue to find ways to ensure all Tulsans have access to resources and a better path forward.”
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere --
- 2 News Oklahoma on your schedule | Download on your TV, watch for free. How to watch on your streaming device
- Download our free app for Apple, Android and Kindle devices.
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
- Watch LIVE 24/7 on YouTube
