Volunteers Work To Better Understand People Experiencing Homelessness In Tulsa

Teams of volunteers, paired with professionals who work with people experiencing homelessness, fanned out in Tulsa for a yearly headcount and assessment of needs Friday.

The two day count is part of a national “point in time” count that helps inform local decision makers about how to better serve Tulsa’s homeless community.

“We're going to get some real data and some real information about what people say they need,” said Josh Sanders, the Director of Outreach for Housing Solutions.

The census workers ask where people sleep, what happened that led to their situation, and about healthcare and education. The survey takes about 10 minutes.

The outreach teams try to make contact with every homeless person who is using services and those off the grid, in encampments that are hidden.

“You see people build community wherever they are,” said County Commissioner Karen Keith, who went with one of the first teams out Friday morning.

“It's all ages and it's really surprising who is out there,” she said.

When the count is over, Housing Solutions expects they'll find that more people are homeless this year than last.

With new numbers, they hope to make understand needs so they can find more solutions.

Click here for more information about Housing Solutions Tulsa.