Tulsa leaders look to Denver for ideas on how to end homelessness
TULSA, Okla. — Nearly 16,000 Tulsans experienced homelessness for the first time over the past five years, according to data from Housing Solutions.
It's an epidemic city leaders want to help fix and one Tulsa Day Center Executive Director Mack Halton believes he has a solution.
"Homelessness is a condition, okay?" explained Halton. "It's not, it's not a symptom of somebody that's who they are. It can be overcome."
This week, the Tulsa Day Center was honored by Oklahoma State Rep. Regina Goodwin for their work in the community.
Halton himself has dedicated over 20 years of his life to help Tulsans who've lost it all.
"When someone becomes homeless, you don't just lose your home," he explained. "You lose just about everything. Sometimes dignity, sometimes where you're at. Sometimes you want to give up."
Ending homelessness, Halton said, is a team effort - filled with hard work.
"It is going to take more than the Tulsa Day Center to help with this problem," he stated.
In 2021, Haltom said the Tulsa Day Center helped get 570 people off the streets and out of shelters.
Ninety-two percent of them, Haltom said, are still housed.
"Affordable housing is the issue for sure," he said. "I believe it's a basic right for everybody to be able to have their affordable place to live."
Councilor Jayme Fowler is one of several who traveled to Denver earlier this month to learn about solutions.
Fowler said other councilors went to visit homeless shelters and tent cities.
"I think that's very important people that just have a different perspective," he said.
For him, homelessness is a two-fold issue.
"When you look at the dynamic of homelessness -- many, many folks that are homeless, have mental health issues," he said.
Fowler explained one of the ideas Denver had to help those experiencing homelessness, which includes partnering with police.
"They kind of phrased it as a co-responder model, where mental health professionals are, are deeply embedded with the police department," said Fowler.
