Oklahoma City’s homeless population grew by 2.4 percent over the past year. Still, that total represents a double-digit decrease in growth following the end of COVID-19 aid, according to new numbers released by the City of OKC at its State of Homelessness address Tuesday at the Oklahoma History Center.
Each January, the city conducts a point-in-time count to gauge OKC’s homeless population. The most recent count earlier this year found 1,882 homeless people. The 2023 number was 1,436, and it jumped to 1,838 in 2024.
City of OKC homeless strategy implementation manager Jamie Caves said programs like Key To Home, which aims to house chronically homeless people, are beginning to pay off. In general, the number of chronically homeless people in OKC has fallen dramatically. According to a news release accompanying the PIT count’s release, “those experiencing chronic, unsheltered homelessness” dropped by 33 percent over the past year, resulting in a total reduction of 43 percent for the past two years, even though the total OKC homeless population grew slightly for the 2025 count.
“Even though we saw a 2.4 percent increase for 44 people, this growth is significantly slower when we compare it to the 28 percent (increase) that we saw last year,” Caves said. “This is an encouraging sign. It means that our interventions are beginning to have their intended impact. We’re not at equilibrium yet, but we’re moving toward it, and that’s no small feat.”
Caves said the sunsetting of federal aid from the pandemic helped drive the number of unhoused people upward last year.
“What’s interesting in these numbers is that between 2020 and 2023, we saw a pretty remarkable stabilization in homelessness rates,” Caves said. “The number grew slightly but remained low in 2023. During the COVID-19 pandemic, eviction moratoriums, a surge in federal funding and expanded benefit programs through the CARES Act served as critical lifelines when uncertainty was everywhere. Families were able to stay in their homes, and service providers had the resources they needed to act quickly and effectively. This period proved a vital point: When those programs and interventions rolled back in 2023, we saw that reflected in our 2024 count.”
Holt: ‘There are not enough littering or camping tickets in the world to build a house’
During his remarks Tuesday, OKC Mayor David Holt praised efforts like Key to Home and teased a future that would include more resources to address both homelessness and affordable housing. The city has seen a population growth of about 200,000 in the last two decades, which has played a role in rising housing costs in the metro area.
“On the macro level, we have committed $55 million to truly affordable housing through MAPS 4,” he said. “And later this year, we will put before the people of OKC bond issues putting tens of millions of dollars in housing. Meanwhile, the city government is also considering policy and zoning proposals to provide an environment for more affordable housing.”
The city is currently considering easing restrictions on accessory dwelling units in OKC, a move that could boost available housing supplies over a decade and help ease rental market forces that make it difficult for people to stay in their homes.
Oklahoma City Metropolitan Association of Realtors government affairs director Gary Jones said during a panel discussion Tuesday that the average homebuyer’s age has crept up.
“There were several canaries in the coal mine when we got into this,” he said. “Fifteen years ago, the average homeowner would buy their first house at 28, and now it’s 38.”
Jones also noted the speed at which evictions can occur in Oklahoma.
“The number of renters that were being evicted from our housing in Oklahoma City (…) unfortunately turned out to be a gateway for some people into homelessness,” he said. “I was amazed that in the state of Oklahoma, it takes less than 30 days to be kicked out of your home. Less than 30 days.”
A bill modifying eviction timelines has passed both legislative chambers and was sent to Gov. Kevin Stitt for his signature Tuesday. Senate Bill 128 would add five days to the amount of time between the summons delivery date and the eviction hearing date. The bill also requires a summons to be served at least seven days — instead of three days — before the trial date. A bipartisan effort, SB 128 was authored by Sen. Julia Kirt (D-OKC), and Rep. Daniel Pae (R-Lawton) carried it in the house.
“By giving tenants a few more days of notice, we’re creating a more balanced process that can help prevent families from falling through the cracks,” Pae said in a press release. “I appreciate Sen. Kirt’s leadership on this issue, and I’m proud to support this common sense reform.”
At Tuesday’s event, Holt also pushed back against the idea that there are easy solutions or shortcuts in solving a complex problem — one exacerbated by OKC’s location at the intersection of Interstates 35, 40 and 44.
“There isn’t enough energy in our city to waste time on ineffective or illegal ideas,” Holt said. “And yet, many of the suggestions we get fall into those categories. For example, practically every day, someone tells me we should somehow seize people experiencing homelessness against their will and bus them somewhere else. First of all, this idea is clearly a violation of multiple provisions of the United States Constitution and its Bill of Rights. Second, it is mutually assured destruction, because if we somehow succeeded in relocating people experiencing homelessness to other communities, I assure you other communities would send them our way.”
Holt said using city ordinances to make homelessness punitive does not work, either.
“There are not enough littering or camping tickets in the world to build a house out of,” he said. “There are reasonable conversations to be had about the enforcement of laws, but in no instance has a ticket ever elevated anyone out of homelessness. Bus tickets and police tickets are tantalizing options because they sound like easy solutions. That alone should probably be a red flag that they are nonsense.”
Youth, veteran population among OKC homeless dips
The city’s Key to Home program has housed 389 chronically homeless people since it kicked off two years ago. Caves said the initial goal of 500 is on track to be met by the end of this year.
Two new properties aimed at providing housing are also in the pipeline. Dorset Place will feature 70 units aimed at housing veterans. Vita Nova, which the city is converting from a motel on East Reno Avenue, will include 76 units. Both are expected to open late next year.
Also included in OKC’s figures released Tuesday was a look at the rate of the homeless population among youth and veterans. Unaccompanied youth homelessness dropped by 5 percent this year. Those sleeping outside and not in shelters dropped by 7 percent this year, Caves said.
“We know that targeted strategies take time to show a difference, but a little over two years in this project, we’re seeing some encouraging signs that those numbers are declining,” she said.
Caves said efforts from here on out should focus on three goals.
“First, we will need to reduce inflow by ensuring fewer people are entering homelessness. Second, we will use targeted interventions to eliminate long-term homelessness. And third, we must expand our available housing exits to allow people to flow through the system more efficiently,” she said.
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