The city’s encampment rehousing initiative continues to show progress. Close to 400 people are no longer homeless thanks to this program modeled after Houston’s rehousing initiative. During the State of the City address on Wednesday, Mayor David Holt acknowledged the progress made to save people from homelessness, but he said the city must build on that success.
Context matters when analyzing homelessness statistics
Numbers tell a story, but Holt said data requires context to understand the truth. The three-year average number of people experiencing homelessness grew by 63 people from 2007 to this year, but the city also grew by 165,000. The number of unhoused residents per 10,000 residents declined during that same time frame.
“A smaller percentage of our city’s residents are experiencing homelessness today than they were two decades ago,” Holt said.
The unsheltered population declined four straight years
The number of people who live outside declined over four years. Since 2023, the Key to Home encampment rehousing initiative has helped 398 people find homes.
“Every time someone moves into a home, we’re ending homelessness,” said Meghan Mueller, chief executive officer at the Homeless Alliance. “The solution to homelessness is housing.”
OKC has invested in incentives for new affordable housing
Holt and the city have prioritized city resources like Key to Home to add affordable housing…