Mayor Nichols to Host Public Conversation on Homelessness, Share Progress on Historic Citywide Response
Mayor Monroe Nichols will host a public conversation this weekend focused on the City’s ongoing efforts to address homelessness, expand shelter and housing access, and strengthen coordinated outreach and public safety responses citywide.
The meeting comes as Tulsa continues implementing one of the most comprehensive homelessness strategies in city history and comes as recent public discussions have emerged regarding recent events for homelessness services.
Right now, the City and community partners are working to carry out Safe Move Tulsa - Tulsa’s coordinated, citywide homelessness response strategy launched this last fall. Since it started, nearly 120 individuals living in outdoor encampments have been housed with supportive services, six encampments have been decommissioned - including large encampments and the entirety of Downtown Tulsa - and every individual housed through the initiative has remained connected to ongoing support services through community case management teams.
“Homelessness is one of the most urgent challenges facing cities across the country, and in Tulsa, we have made the decision to confront it head on,” Mayor Nichols said. “I know there are a lot of different ideas about how we do that - and what the role of service providers and well-meaning Tulsans should look like to address it. But if one thing is clear - we all want solutions. And as mayor, I want what’s best for Tulsa and I want our residents, service providers, and volunteers to feel the full support of the city with their work.”
Background on Recent Efforts
Shortly after taking office, Mayor Nichols signed an executive order making homelessness a top City priority and directing the City to focus on four major areas:
The executive order built on previous conversations and recommendations from groups like the 3H Task Force that were intended to boost the City’s response to the growing issue of homelessness.
Over the last year, the City and its partners have made substantial progress on each directive.
Shelter Expansion: Low Barrier Shelter (The Harbor)
Later this year, Tulsa’s first true low-barrier shelter, The Harbor, is expected to open just west of Downtown Tulsa. The facility will significantly expand shelter capacity and create new opportunities to connect individuals experiencing homelessness with stabilization services, behavioral health support, and permanent housing pathways.
The Harbor represents a major expansion of Tulsa’s homelessness response system at a time when existing shelter providers regularly operate at or near capacity.
Winter Weather Shelter Operations
This past winter also marked the City’s first season operating a dedicated winter weather shelter in partnership with community providers, ensuring hundreds of Tulsans had a safe place to stay during severe weather events.
More than 600 individuals utilized winter weather shelter services during the season, all of whom were connected to services and assistance thanks to the City’s partnership with CREOKs.
Safe Move Tulsa Progress
Safe Move Tulsa, the City’s coordinated encampment decommissioning and housing initiative, has become one of the largest coordinated homelessness response efforts ever undertaken in Tulsa.
The initiative combines outreach workers, housing navigators, behavioral health teams, service providers, and public safety personnel into a coordinated system focused on reducing unsheltered homelessness while helping individuals transition into stable housing.
To date:
Officials say the strategy is focused not only on addressing encampments, but also on building long-term systems that prevent people from falling deeper into homelessness. Work to further invest and double down efforts to sustain progress are underway.
Coordinated Downtown Response
In addition to closing Downtown to street sleeping, the City’s response to homelessness in Downtown includes expanded collaboration between public safety partners and A Way Home for Tulsa partner organizations.
Partners involved in the effort include:
This coordinated approach allows outreach teams and public safety personnel to connect individuals more quickly to shelter beds, behavioral health care, transportation, case management, and permanent housing resources.
Commitment to Compassionate and Coordinated Services
City officials continue to emphasize that Tulsa’s approach to homelessness remains rooted in compassion, coordination, and long-term solutions.
The City consistently works closely with service providers, outreach organizations, behavioral health professionals, and volunteer groups across Tulsa to ensure individuals experiencing homelessness can safely access food, shelter, medical care, housing resources, and supportive services. This process of coordination includes ensuring these groups have the proper resources, tools, and permits to operate safely and effectively.
Officials continue to emphasize the importance of coordination between organizations operating in public spaces to ensure services can be delivered safely, consistently, and in ways that support both vulnerable residents and the broader community.
Looking Ahead
Safe Move Tulsa is currently operating in Phase 1, with long-term plans to expand housing navigation, rapid exit strategies, case management capacity, and coordinated outreach efforts citywide.
Mayor Nichols’ proposed FY27 budget includes the opportunity to deploy a new funding strategy intended to sustain and expand homelessness response operations, including future phases of Safe Move Tulsa and additional housing-focused interventions. The strategy continues to lean heavily on community partners and the potential for public-private partnerships to help fully realize the effectiveness of Safe Move Tulsa.
Soon, the City will release recommendations from the Mayor’s Coalition on Eviction Mitigation, which is expected to propose additional strategies aimed at preventing housing instability and reducing future homelessness.
For more information about Safe Move Tulsa, visit: www.SafeMoveTulsa.com
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