TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa leaders announced the start of Safe Move Tulsa.
They call it a comprehensive plan to eliminate street homelessness.
The initiative is designed to close encampments, connect residents to housing and services, and restore Tulsa's spaces—all through a partnership between local government, service providers, businesses, and the philanthropic community.
“Safe Move Tulsa is one of the first times we’ve had every part of our community working from one playbook to move people from the street into stability,” Mayor Nichols said. “It’s a true community effort that reflects what Tulsans told us they want - compassion for our neighbors and accountability for our shared spaces. This work reflects our major commitments to end homelessness by 2030 and shows what it looks like to do this work the right way.”
WATCH: New initiative helps 25 homeless into housing
What is Safe Move Tulsa?
A public-private collaboration supported by the City of Tulsa, Housing Solutions Tulsa, the A Way Home for Tulsa Continuum of Care, Tulsa's Tribal Nations, and a broad coalition of local agencies, businesses, and philanthropic partners. Together, these partners are aligning their resources, staff, and data to deliver housing solutions as work continues to end street homelessness in Tulsa.
Funding for Safe Move Tulsa includes $4.4 million from the Walmart Opioid Settlement Subfund and the Pandemic Relief Recovery Fund, $2.6 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars, and an additional $4 million being solicited from private donations, totaling a $10 million investment for the initiative’s first year.
An existing $1 million grant from The Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation is being used to build capacity for Safe Move Tulsa, enabling Tulsa's homelessness support system to hire additional case managers who support individuals transitioning into housing with services that help them stabilize over 12 months.
Where is it being used?
The Safe Move Tulsa effort officially launched at a location known to service providers as Eagle’s Nest, which is a protected natural area along the banks of the Arkansas River, just south of River Spirit Casino. For at least seven years, this area has been home to various homeless encampments.
Over the past year, outreach teams and service providers worked extensively at Eagle’s Nest, increasing visits in recent months to provide on-site case management and connect residents with housing.
City and community partners announced that the initiative has successfully moved 25 individuals into housing and provided them with services.
Following the successful housing effort, the encampments at Eagle’s Nest are closed, and crews started the cleanup and restoration process, which is accompanied by ongoing monitoring to ensure the area remains free of encampments.
"Our success at Eagle's Nest shows what is possible when resources and collaboration match the need," said Mark Smith, CEO of Housing Solutions. "This launch brings investment from the City, private partners, and philanthropy that enables A Way Home for Tulsa to respond to unsheltered homelessness with the intensity and speed required. This investment will enable more than 300 people to transition to stable housing within the next nine months. That is the impact resources and coordination can achieve."
How does it work?
Safe Move Tulsa combines two coordinated efforts - decommissioning and rehousing - to permanently close encampments and prevent their return.
- Track, Assess, and Prepare: Outreach teams maintain real-time data on encampments and identify sites for closure. Once selected, teams assess each resident’s needs and prepare for safe transitions indoors.
- Service Surge: Outreach workers conduct intensive daily engagement to secure IDs, complete paperwork, and finalize housing placements - in weeks, not months.
- Mobilize Housing and Support: Housing units and support services are activated in advance so each person has a clear, ready path to stability.
- Transition and Stabilize: Teams help individuals, pets, and belongings transition safely, supported by 12-month stabilization plans.
- Restore and Maintain: City crews clean and restore public spaces, while ongoing monitoring ensures encampments do not return.
What's next?
The goal for Safe Move Tulsa is to move more than 300 Tulsans into stable housing in the next nine months.
The initiative is working from a report created by Clutch Consulting Group, which found Tulsa needs to reorganize and scale its homeless services to be able to quickly assist those experiencing unsheltered homelessness to get off the streets.
The report recommends a $60 million investment over the next three years to address Tulsa’s needs in these areas fully.
Increased focus on Tulsa's homeless population
Mayor Nichols issued an Executive Order on Homelessness, establishing four key priorities to guide work toward ending homelessness by 2030.
- Expand Shelter Capacity (Low-Barrier Shelter): The City has reached an agreement with Tulsa County to purchase the former Juvenile Detention Center for the purpose of creating a low-barrier shelter. That agreement is in place, and work is underway to bring the new facility online.
- Open a Winter Weather Shelter: The City announced last week that it will open an inclement weather shelter at BeHeard Movement in partnership with CREOKS Behavioral Health Services. Opening November 17, the shelter will operate through March to provide individuals experiencing homelessness with a safe and warm place to stay during extreme weather conditions. The facility will be Tulsa's first winter weather shelter of its kind.
- Encampment Decommissioning Team: The City’s new Safe Move Tulsa initiative - announced today - formalizes the City’s encampment decommissioning process, helping individuals transition from outdoor living to stable housing through structured outreach, rehousing, and long-term stabilization.
- Eviction Mitigation: The Mayor’s Coalition on Eviction Mitigation has begun meeting with landlords, tenants, and housing providers to identify ways to reduce evictions and keep more Tulsans in stable housing. This work aims to move Tulsa out of the list of the top 15 cities for eviction rates in the U.S. and prevent more residents from entering homelessness.
WATCH: Nichols sat down with 2 News Oklahoma to discuss issues in Tulsa and spoke extensively about his focus on ending homelessness.
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