Homelessness

Rapid Response team in the field

Housing, Not Handcuffs: A Call to Rethink ‘Operation SAFE’

Leave a Comment / Advocacy, Homelessness, Housing /

Last week, Governor Stitt announced Operation SAFE (Swift Action for Families Everywhere)—a new initiative aimed at Tulsa’s unhoused population. The plan enacts 64 OK Stat § 1097, a statute created through the passage of State Bill 1854 in 2024, which restricts camping on state-owned land. Through Operation SAFE, Oklahoma Highway Patrol officers will issue warnings […]

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Statement from CEO, Carrie Blumert, on Operation SAFE

Leave a Comment / Homelessness, Mental Health News, Uncategorized /

As a street outreach and housing service provider in the Tulsa area, we are extremely concerned by Governor Stitt’s “Operation SAFE” program that does nothing to address the root cause of homelessness.   Each day, our outreach teams engage with Oklahomans experiencing homelessness and work tirelessly to get them into housing, connected with healthcare, and find

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Statement from CEO, Carrie Blumert, on Recent Executive Order

Leave a Comment / Homelessness, Mental Health News, Uncategorized /

The Executive Order issued on July 24, 2025 regarding homelessness and mental health treatment includes many directives that cause us concern. Extensive evidence has shown that when we prioritize safe and stable housing—and combine it with voluntary and personalized access to resources and treatment—homelessness can be brief and nonrecurring. Policies that criminalize homelessness only increase

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Responding to the Executive Order on Homelessness: What the Evidence Really Says

Leave a Comment / Homelessness, Housing, Mental Health News, Uncategorized /

On July 24, 2025, the Trump administration issued an executive order on homelessness and mental health treatment, an action which raises serious concerns for those working on the front lines of housing and mental health. Among the directives are proposals that would expand the involuntary commitment of individuals experiencing homelessness, mental illness, substance use disorder,

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Relentless Compassion: How Street Medicine Helped Mr. P Find His Way Home 

Leave a Comment / Homelessness, Housing /

In Oklahoma, hundreds of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness live in places most of us overlook: under bridges, in encampments, or even on a bus bench. For these neighbors, access to health care often feels impossible. But at Mental Health Association Oklahoma (MHAOK), we believe that health care is a human right, no matter where you

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When Suffering Becomes Policy: Oklahoma’s Eviction Crisis

Leave a Comment / Homelessness, Housing /

Over 48,000 evictions were filed in Oklahoma in 2024. Whether or not these cases resulted in displacement, the harm begins the moment an eviction is filed. Evictions aren’t just legal proceedings—they are traumatic events with lasting consequences. Workers who experience an eviction are 22% more likely to lose their jobs. In the year following an

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The Community Response Team: An Innovative Way to Address Homelessness in Oklahoma City 

Leave a Comment / Homelessness, Street Medicine /

In the spring of 2023, a new initiative emerged in Oklahoma City, born out of the need to support those experiencing homelessness while also easing the strain on emergency services: the Community Response Team (CRT). This partnership between the City of OKC and Mental Health Association Oklahoma is making a real impact by providing direct

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Tulsa’s Bold Plan to End Homelessness by 2030 

Leave a Comment / Homelessness, Media Coverage /

In November, Tulsa made history by electing its first Black mayor, Monroe Nichols. Since taking office, he’s been working tirelessly to lay the foundation for his five major priorities aimed at advancing the city. Among them, tackling homelessness stands out as an urgent and ambitious goal – and a goal that directly aligns with MHAOK’s

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MHAOK was the lead agency at the Tulsa Dream Center pop-up shelter during last week’s storm

Leave a Comment / Drop-In Centers, Homelessness /

Last week, a severe winter storm hit Oklahoma, bringing record-breaking temperatures and snow. In response, Denver House, Mental Health Association Oklahoma’s (MHAOK) peer-run drop-in center located near Downtown Tulsa, closed for the week so staff could volunteer at the Tulsa Dream Center’s west campus pop-up shelter, aimed at assisting those experiencing homelessness. MHAOK served as

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MHAOK’s 2024 permanent supportive housing stability rate topped 90%. Here is why this matters:

Leave a Comment / Homelessness, Housing /

Nonprofits that focus on permanent supportive housing (PSH) programs play a pivotal role in addressing homelessness and housing instability, especially in states like Oklahoma, where affordable housing is in short supply, and eviction rates are alarmingly high. As an indicator of success, housing stability rate is a critical element of PSH programs. It tells us

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