TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols gave a progress report Wednesday on his Safe Move Tulsa initiative.
Safe Move Tulsa is the effort to reduce the number of homeless people in the city.
Mayor Nichols says they’ve already surpassed their goal of rehousing 300 people in the first year of the program, about 5 months ahead of the scheduled deadline in November.
“Today more than 360 Tulsans have ended their homelessness through the Safe Move Tulsa initiative, and by the end of the week, we expect that number to be closer to 400.
He said the reason the number will be closer to 400 is that the city is in the process this week of decommissioning another homeless encampment.
The City has removed 9 encampments so far.
He says one reason they’ve met their goal well ahead of their deadline is that around 75-percent of homeless people only need a short-term fix, such as rental assistance or transportation, to get off the street.
He says they even have a new term for that part of the program: “rapid exit.”
He now says they think they can rehouse close to 1,000 by year’s end.
The City’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year 2027 includes $23.5 million for a multi-year response to homelessness, including an additional $500,000 for operations at the soon-to-be operational low-barrier shelter called “The Harbor.”
