TULSA -- City Councilors were exposed to the reality of the homeless in Tulsa on a housing tour with local organizations.
Seven councilors from the City of Tulsa were on the tour to become aware of the problem. They first started at Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless.
It’s all part of an effort to learn about the programs available to the homeless community and how the city can help tackle the problem.
The Community Service Council of Greater Tulsa reports there were 811 people without a home in January of 2016 compared to 716 in 2015 and 699 in 2014. The Council says the number varies depending on the weather and how many transients are outside on the day they gather the data.
Mike Brose, the Chief Empowerment Officer from the Mental Health Association Oklahoma, says something needs to be done about providing more housing.
"If you don't have a place to live, you don't have an address, you don't have a place to call home. To be able to get jobs, to be able to get healthcare services is almost impossible," said Brose.
Community leaders say other than housing, the next big problem is finding employment opportunities for the homeless population.
City Councilors hope to gain knowledge from the tour to see how it can help their districts.
"We can certainly have the information and the contact information to be able to support people in our district and in our city," said City Councilor Vanessa Hall-Harper from District 1.
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