City, Partners Formally Launch Safe Move Tulsa to End Street Homelessness

City, Partners Formally Launch Safe Move Tulsa to End Street Homelessness

11/5/2025

Twenty-five individuals housed at Eagle's Nest Encampment; Site to Be Restored, Ongoing Monitoring Will Ensure Encampment Does Not Return

Today, the City announced that Safe Move Tulsa, Tulsa's comprehensive plan to eliminate street homelessness, is now fully underway.

The initiative represents a unified, citywide framework to close encampments, connect residents to housing and services, and restore Tulsa's spaces - all through a historic partnership between local government, service providers, businesses, and the philanthropic community.

"Safe Move Tulsa is one of the first times we've had every part of our community working from one playbook to move people from the street into stability," Mayor Nichols said. "It's a true community effort that reflects what Tulsans told us they want - compassion for our neighbors and accountability for our shared spaces. This work reflects our major commitments to end homelessness by 2030 and shows what it looks like to do this work the right way."

The Safe Move Tulsa effort officially launched at a location known to service providers as Eagle's Nest - a protected natural area along the banks of the Arkansas River, just south of River Spirit Casino. For at least seven years, this area has been home to various homeless encampments.

Over the past year, outreach teams and service providers have worked extensively at Eagle's Nest, increasing visits in recent months to provide on-site case management and connect residents with housing. This week, the City and community partners announced the completion of that process at a press conference held at the site - highlighting the work to move 25 individuals into housing and services.

Following the successful housing effort, the encampments at Eagle's Nest have been closed, and City crews have begun the cleanup and restoration process, which will be accompanied by ongoing monitoring to ensure the area remains free of encampments.

"Our success at Eagle's Nest shows what is possible when resources and collaboration match the need," said Mark Smith, CEO of Housing Solutions. "This launch brings investment from the City, private partners, and philanthropy that enables A Way Home for Tulsa to respond to unsheltered homelessness with the intensity and speed required. This investment will enable more than 300 people to transition to stable housing within the next nine months. That is the impact resources and coordination can achieve."

The City extends its gratitude to the Muscogee Nation and to River Parks for their partnership and assistance at the site and throughout the entire process.

A Citywide, Partner-Driven Solution
A public-private collaboration, Safe Move Tulsa is supported by the City of Tulsa, Housing Solutions Tulsa, the A Way Home for Tulsa Continuum of Care, Tulsa's Tribal Nations, and a broad coalition of local agencies, businesses, and philanthropic partners. Together, these partners are aligning their resources, staff, and data to deliver housing solutions as work continues to end street homelessness in Tulsa.

Funding for Safe Move Tulsa includes $4.4 million from the Walmart Opioid Settlement SubFund and Pandemic Relief Recovery Fund, $2.6 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars, and an additional $4 million being solicited from private donations - totaling a $10 million investment for the initiative's first year.

An existing $1 million grant from The Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation was also activated to build capacity for Safe Move Tulsa, allowing Tulsa's homelessness support system to hire additional case managers who support individuals moving into housing with services that help them to stabilize over 12 months.

"The Anne & Henry Zarrow Foundation is proud to help make permanent housing a reality for our neighbors who have experienced homelessness and to support YWCA Tulsa in expanding its impact," said Bill Major, President of the Foundation. "This effort demonstrates what's possible when partners come together with shared purpose and resources."

The Tulsa Leadership Council - a group of prominent businesses, major family foundations, and other philanthropic partners - praised the City's comprehensive effort to address public safety challenges.

"Members of the Tulsa Leadership Council are encouraged to see that Mayor Nichols is prioritizing solutions that include both enforcement of laws and ordinances as well as providing treatment for those who need it," Tulsa Leadership Council spokesman Charlie Hannema said. "These challenges will require bold, coordinated strategies, and the Tulsa Leadership Council is committed to tackling these complicated issues head on."

How Safe Move Tulsa Works
Safe Move Tulsa combines two coordinated efforts - decommissioning and rehousing - to permanently close encampments and prevent their return.

The Safe Move Tulsa process includes the following steps:

1. Track, Assess, and Prepare: Outreach teams maintain real-time data on encampments and identify sites for closure. Once selected, teams assess each resident's needs and prepare for safe transitions indoors.
2. Service Surge: Outreach workers conduct intensive daily engagement to secure IDs, complete paperwork, and finalize housing placements - in weeks, not months.
3. Mobilize Housing and Support: Housing units and support services are activated in advance so each person has a clear, ready path to stability.
4. Transition and Stabilize: Teams help individuals, pets, and belongings transition safely, supported by 12-month stabilization plans.
5. Restore and Maintain: City crews clean and restore public spaces, while ongoing monitoring ensures encampments do not return.

Ultimately, Safe Move Tulsa will help more than 300 Tulsans transition into stable housing in the next nine months.

For more information about Safe Move Tulsa, visit: www.cityoftulsa.org/SafeMove

Advancement of Clutch Report Recommendations
Safe Move Tulsa directly advances recommendations from a report recently produced by Clutch Consulting Group, which found that Tulsa needs to reorganize and scale its homeless services to be able to quickly assist those experiencing unsheltered homelessness to get off the streets.

The report calls for a $60 million investment over the next three years to fully meet Tulsa's needs in these areas. Ultimately, the report noted that Safe Move Tulsa could be resourced and expanded to comprehensively address street homelessness in the community.

Mayor's Priorities on Ending Homelessness by 2030
Earlier this year, Mayor Nichols issued an Executive Order on Homelessness, establishing four key priorities to guide the City's work toward ending homelessness by 2030. Progress is underway on each of these fronts:

• Expand Shelter Capacity (Low-Barrier Shelter): The City has reached an agreement with Tulsa County to purchase the former Juvenile Detention Center for the purpose of creating a low-barrier shelter. That agreement is in place, and work is underway to bring the new facility online.
• Open a Winter Weather Shelter: The City announced last week that it will open an inclement weather shelter at BeHeard Movement in partnership with CREOKS Behavioral Health Services. Opening November 17, the shelter will operate through March to provide individuals experiencing homelessness with a safe and warm place to stay during extreme weather conditions. The facility will be Tulsa's first winter weather shelter of its kind.
• Encampment Decommissioning Team: The City's new Safe Move Tulsa initiative - announced today - formalizes the City's encampment decommissioning process, helping individuals transition from outdoor living to stable housing through structured outreach, rehousing, and long-term stabilization.
• Eviction Mitigation: The Mayor's Coalition on Eviction Mitigation has begun meeting with landlords, tenants, and housing providers to identify ways to reduce evictions and keep more Tulsans in stable housing. This work aims to move Tulsa out of the list of the top 15 cities for eviction rates in the U.S. and prevent more residents from entering homelessness.
  
  Together, these four priorities represent a multi-faceted effort to address the causes and conditions of homelessness in Tulsa - building a stronger, safer, and more compassionate community for all.

For more information on the Mayor's priority to end homelessness, visit: www.cityoftulsa.org/mayor/homelessness