Blog

Housing is good for business

Housing is good for business Tulsa – like every other major city – is part of a national housing crisis that is affecting business owners whether they know it or not. Lack of housing means an increased burden on employees to find affordable places to live. About half of Tulsa renters are cost burdened, meaning […]

Understanding the Need for Low-Barrier Shelters in Tulsa: An Essential Step Towards Ending Homelessness

Understanding the Need for Low-Barrier Shelters in Tulsa: An Essential Step Towards Ending Homelessness In the mission to end homelessness in Tulsa, emergency shelters play a pivotal role as a first line of defense for individuals and families experiencing housing crises. With the City of Tulsa’s recent release of an RFP (Request for Proposal) for […]

Tulsa County District Court receives grant for new eviction diversion program

Tulsa County District Court receives grant for new eviction diversion program AWH4T goal #1: Stop homelessness before it begins Tulsa County District Court recently received a grant from the National Center for State Courts’ (NCSC) Eviction Diversion Initiative to strengthen eviction diversion efforts and improve housing stability across Tulsa County. Tulsa County District Court is […]

Spotlight on disability and homelessness

Spotlight on disability and its ties to homelessness Up to 1 in 4 adults [1] in the United States have some sort of disabling condition. A disabling condition [2] or a disability, can encompass physical, intellectual and developmental disabilities, as well as mental illness and substance use disorders. Due to the challenges that come along […]

Spotlight on grief and its connection to homelessness

Spotlight on Grief and its Connection to Homelessness Content warning: The following discusses sensitive topics related to grief, loss, trauma, and homelessness. The content may contain descriptions of emotional distress, traumatic experiences, substance use, and instances of loss, which could be triggering or distressing for some readers. Reader discretion is advised. Grief is the anguish […]

Social Service Hub celebrates second year, 3,319 helped

Housing Solutions’ Social Services Hub celebrates second year, 3,319 helped AWH4T goal #1: Stop homelessness before it begins Housing Solutions’ Landlord Tenant Resource Center (LTRC) celebrates its second year of operating the Social Services Hub at Iron Gate in August. “Our focus is to stop homelessness before it begins, and we’re seeing and helping more […]

Spotlight on LGBTQ+ Homelessness and Housing Insecurity

Spotlight on LGBTQ+ Homelessness and Housing Insecurity Understanding and Addressing Disproportionate Rates of Homelessness and Housing Discrimination within the LGBTQ+ Community June marks Pride Month, a dedicated period for celebrating and commemorating the LGBTQ+ community. This is an opportunity to reflect upon the rich history and individual lives that make up this vibrant community. Yet, […]

Annual Point-in-Time Count shows increasing homelessness

Survey shows lack of affordable housing as the dominant cause of Tulsa County homelessness To explore a 2023 Point-in-Time Count data dashboard, go to housingsolutionstulsa.org/reports-data/pit-data Housing Solutions’ annual Point-in-Time (PiT) Count shows a 6.6% increase in homelessness from 2022 to 2023 across Tulsa County with 44% of 1,133 respondents claiming a lack of affordable housing […]

LTRC Blog: Improving the court experience

LTRC Blog: Tips and tricks to improving the court experience AWH4T goal #1: Stop homelessness before it begins Rachel Johnson, LTRC landlord liaison, helps a client at LTRC’s Social Service Hub inside Iron Gate, 501 W. Archer St. Court can be an intimidating place, but knowing how to navigate and prepare for the court process […]

LTRC Blog: Deposit Demand

LTRC Blog: Lifting the veil on deposit demand AWH4T goal #1: Stop homelessness before it begins When you move into a new home, you will likely have to pay a security deposit at the time of moving in. But what happens to that deposit when you move out? Is it possible to get it back? […]

Housing Solutions prepares for annual Point-in-Time Count, Jan. 27-28

It’s PiT Count time in Tulsa County For media opportunities during the PiT Count, please email jwade@housingsolutionstulsa.org with a preferred morning or afternoon. Additional information will be provided the week before Jan. 27. Housing Solutions is preparing and recruiting volunteers for the annual Point-in-Time (PiT) Count, a literal count of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing […]

Tulsa Day Center executive director to lead A Way Home for Tulsa

Mack Haltom, Tulsa Day Center executive director, to lead A Way Home for Tulsa When Mack Haltom first walked into the Tulsa Day Center 23 years ago, he had his eye on a night manager position that just opened. He interviewed with longtime and legendary Day Center executive director, Sandra Lewis, who didn’t tell him […]

Housing Solutions hires deputy director to support increased housing efforts

Housing Solutions hires deputy director to support increased housing efforts Housing Solutions recently added to its leadership team following a national search to support increased efforts to make homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring in Tulsa. Laura Evanoff, Housing Solutions deputy director, started Monday, bringing a range of experience from several of the nation’s top homelessness […]

Let us know your organization’s accomplishments

Let us know your organization’s accomplishments We want to showcase AWH4T’s biggest accomplishments this year. Please take a moment to fill out the info below, submitting once for each item you want to highlight.

Giving Tuesday

Giving Tuesday is November 29, 2022 Let’s tranform our city through radical generosity. Learn More Giving Tuesday is a Movement that Unleashes the Power of Radical Generosity Around the World. Giving Tuesday reimagines a world built upon shared humanity and generosity. There are so many different ways to show generosity on Giving Tuesday. Be sure […]

How to help homelessness: Helping 101

A Housing Solutions guide to helping AWH4T goal #2: Transform the systems of care to be more effective, equitable and person-centered Making homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring must be a community wide effort and we all have a role to play. We help when we support an affordable housing project in our neighborhood. We help when […]

Tulsa awarded $5.38 million to help end youth homelessness

Tulsa awarded $5.38 million to help end youth homelessness The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced this week that Tulsa County, through A Way Home for Tulsa (AWH4T), is one of 17 local communities across the nation to receive a major grant to end youth homelessness. “Placing young people experiencing homelessness into […]

Fall 2022 All Member Meeting & Agency Tours

Fall 2022 All Member Meeting & Agency Tours AWH4T’s Fall All-Member meeting will be Nov. 10, noon-1 p.m., and will be followed by an agency tour, 1-4 p.m. The agency tour will feature new stops and continue to educate about AWH4T’s many critical agencies. Please take a moment to register at the link below. Morton Comprehensive Health Services will host […]

Just Home Project’s Lived Experience Advisory Board convenes first meeting

Just Home Project’s Lived Experience Advisory Board holds first meeting AWH4T goal #1: Stop homelessness before it begins The Just Home Project launched a major initiative Friday, establishing an advisory board made up entirely by people with lived experience in homelessness or the justice system. The Lived Experience Advisory Board is a key component of […]

City seeking letters of intent from nonprofits for additional $7 million in reimbursable grants

The City of Tulsa is asking for letters of intent from nonprofits due by 5 p.m., Oct. 4., for projects that address the pandemic recovery needs of Tulsans. The application window opens at 8 a.m., Tuesday, Sept. 6. Information sessions will be available in-person and virtually, including questions and answer sessions, to interested 501(c)(3) nonprofits […]

Governor’s Interagency Council on Homelessness regular meeting is Aug. 16

The next Governor’s Interagency Council on Homelessness (GICH) regular meeting will be: Aug. 16 | 1:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Credit Union House of Oklahoma 631 E. Hill St. | Oklahoma City, OK 73105 The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) is in the process of updating the Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. USICH […]

Social Services Hub helps thousands in first year

Social Services Hub helps thousands in first year AWH4T goal #1: Stop homelessness before it begins Housing Solutions’ Landlord Tenant Resource Center (LTRC) will celebrate its first year of operating the Social Services Hub at Iron Gate on Wednesday, Aug. 3, having helped thousands of individuals avoid homelessness before it begins. The Social Services Hub […]

Lunchtime listen: Housing Solutions on StudioTulsa

Lunchtime listen: Housing Solutions on StudioTulsa AWH4T goal #2: Transform the Homeless System of Care Housing Solutions Executive Director Becky Gligo appeared on KWGS’s StudioTulsa this week to talk about homelessness in Tulsa. Hosted by Rich Fisher, StudioTulsa features in-depth discussions on complex local issues. This week’s show explored homelessness, including the widening gap in […]

Outreach teams serve families during harsh heat wave

Outreach teams serve families during harsh heat wave AWH4T goal #3: Increase access to housing 2 News Oklahoma reporter Jeanette Quezada joined Housing Solutions’ outreach teams recently, sharing with viewers the realities of experiencing homelessness during a heat wave with little-to-no affordable housing availability. The first stop on the outreach effort was an emotional contact. […]

Outreach teams shift to triage

Outreach teams shift to heat triage AWH4T goal #2: Transform the Homeless System of Care The intense, uninterrupted heat across Oklahoma has been difficult on Tulsans experiencing homelessness. Due to the temperatures Housing Solutions outreach team members have shifted almost entirely from case management to heat-related triage. From the emergency medical perspective, EMSA medics have […]

Equity in Homelessness: Older adults and homelessness

Older Adults and Homelessness AWH4T goal #1: Stop homelessness before it begins The number of people experiencing homelessness has grown both locally and nationwide in recent years, spurred by income inequality, an affordable-housing crisis, and the ripple effects of the pandemic. Within this wave, a concerning trend has quietly grown – the share of older Americans […]

Invisible Homelessness

Invisible Homelessness When you imagine homelessness, who do you see? If you’re like most people, the answer is probably a vision of folks standing on corners with a sign in their hands or tents lining a sidewalk. Historically, this might have been a fairly accurate picture – and is certainly still the most visible! However, […]

LGBTQ+ Homelessness

LGBTQ+ Homelessness In recent years, nonprofits and federal agencies alike have made huge progress in understanding differing experiences of homelessness among varying demographic groups. For LGBTQ+ people, however, their experiences remain hazy. Like youth who experience homelessness, one of the primary difficulties in understanding the LGBTQ+ experience is that this group most frequently experiences invisible […]

Breaking the Link Between Housing Instability & Incarceration

Breaking the Link Between Housing Instability and Incarceration Partnering organizations include Tulsa Authority for Economic Opportunity, Housing Solutions, Family & Children’s Services, and the Terence Crutcher Foundation Tulsa has been selected as one of four communities/entities to participate in the launch of the Just Home Project, a national program designed to advance community-driven efforts to […]

Equity Series: Youth Homelessness

Equity Series: Youth Homelessness In 2021, more than 20,000 Oklahoma students were experiencing homelessness, disrupting their ability to learn and grow alongside classmates. Source: Oklahoma 2021 PiT Count “Youth Homelessness” is a broad umbrella, encompassing children under 13, adolescents aged 13-17, and young adults 18-25, depending on the agency or program. Understanding this group is […]

Equity in Homelessness

Equity in Homelessness In 2020, A Way Home for Tulsa released its 2020-2024 Strategic Plan . The strategies outlined in this plan emphasize not only housing people currently experiencing homelessness in Tulsa, but also proactively preventing future homelessness among Tulsa’s citizens. Central to this plan is the transformation of homeless systems of care to be more effective, […]

Winter Weather Resources

Winter Weather Resources When temperatures are below freezing, Tulsa’s community is prepared to offer shelter to our unhoused neighbors. Latest forecasts from the National Weather Service can be found here. Guidance on symptoms of hypothermia and frost bite can be found here. Call 911 for emergency medical care. If you know of an individual needing […]

New Van Brings Case Managers Directly to the Community

New Van Brings Case Managers Directly to the Community A $30,000 donation by ONE Gas has purchased a van for mobile access to resources specifically geared toward preventing evictions in Tulsa County. With the end of the moratorium Tulsa County court rooms are seeing jumps in eviction filings. Housing Solutions received a $30,000 boost […]

Expiring COVID-19 Forbearance Relief for FHA Borrowers

FROM THE OFFICE OFF U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, WASHINGTON, DC As the impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic continue to ripple across our nation, an escalating foreclosure crisis among FHA-insured borrowers is reaching a cataclysmic point impacting hundreds of thousands of borrowers. We understand that many homeowners may be struggling and unable to make […]

City of Tulsa’s Gold Star Landlord Program

The City of Tulsa’s Gold Star Landlord Program provides incentives and rewards for landlords and property managers who engage in the best rental practices. This free and voluntary program is part of the Affordable Housing Strategy to make the City of Tulsa an economically thriving, inclusive community with quality housing opportunities for all its residents. […]

Statement on HB1564 & HB1950

Joint Statement from Restore Hope and Housing Solutions on HB 1564 and HB 1950 We are grateful to Oklahoma Representatives for siding with intentional legislative priorities that support both landlords and tenants. Supporting House Bill 1950, a tax credit for landlords who lost income due to COVID-19, is an effective way to provide relief to […]

Call to Action: HB1564

HB1564: Why it Spells Disaster for Oklahoma The Oklahoma Residential Landlord Tenant Act (or ORLTA) is the law that governs landlord tenant relations in the state. Enacted in 1978, and seeing very little change since then, the current ORLTA heavily favors landlords and is part of the reason Tulsa, Oklahoma ranks 11th in the nation for evictions. […]

What the Eviction Moratorium Means for Landlords

UPDATE: EVICTION MORATORIUM CONTINUES – WHAT IT MEANS FOR LANDLORDS The CDC eviction moratorium halting evictions was extended through at least June 30, 2021. This blog post will explain what the eviction moratorium means for landlords. You can view the full official CDC media statement here. What does the eviction moratorium do? The eviction moratorium prohibits […]

UPDATE: CDC EVICTION MORATORIUM EXTENDED

EVICTION MORATORIUM CONTINUES – WHAT IT MEANS FOR RENTERS The CDC eviction moratorium halting evictions was extended through at least June 30, 2021. This blog post will explain what the eviction moratorium means for tenants. You can view the full official CDC media statement here. Summary The eviction moratorium prohibits a landlord from removing […]

Tulsa County Eviction Hearings Continue

In-Person Eviction Hearings are NOT Suspended in Tulsa Tulsa County District Court announced that in-person hearings are suspended from December 8, 2020 through January 11, 2021. But, that does not apply to eviction hearings! Eviction hearings are still being held in-person at the Tulsa County Family Center for Juvenile Justice. While other hearings are suspended […]

CDC Eviction Moratorium Ends Dec. 31, 2020

What does that mean for renters? The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) eviction moratorium prohibited landlords from evicting renters because they could not pay their rent. But as the CDC eviction moratorium ends on December 31, 2020, many tenants are left wondering what to do next. This blog post will answer tenants’ questions about their […]

Field Feature: Sarah Grounds

Sarah Grounds is the Executive Director of the City Lights Foundation, an organization that she co-founded in 2013. They started as a grassroots effort called Night Light Tulsa. Night Light is a weekly outreach under a bridge in downtown Tulsa. It’s purpose is to provide community, dignity, hope, and resources to Tulsa’s vulnerable neighbors. As […]

Homeless man dies of exposure as frigid temperatures descend

This headline plagues the minds of many Tulsans as the first taste of cold weather comes to the area. Every year several of our friends and neighbors who are unsheltered die of exposure. It’s likely that several individuals experiencing homelessness in our community will freeze to death on our streets this year as well, but […]

Call to Action: Winter Shelter

Community Strategies to Protect Neighbors Experiencing Homelessness Winter brings chilling temperatures that can drop below freezing for days on end in Tulsa. As we prepare to address the danger these temperatures pose to our neighbors experiencing homelessness, we also must look to the broader community to assist in these efforts. With current emergency shelter capacities, […]

Avoid the High Cost of Eviction

When landlords evict tenants, they lose money that they cannot get back. But when landlords participate in mediation, they save the time and cost of eviction. The Early Settlement Mediation Program provides free mediation to resolve concerns between landlords and tenants, including repairs and non-payment of rent. Mediation is a meeting between a landlord and […]