Sabine Brown joined the Oklahoma Policy Institute as Housing Senior Policy Analyst in January 2022. She previously worked at OK Policy from January 2018 until September 2020 as the Outreach and Legislative Director, and earned a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa. Before joining OK Policy she served as the Oklahoma Chapter Leader for Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. Sabine also earned a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Health Science from the University of Oklahoma and was a physician assistant prior to discovering advocacy work. She grew up in Germany but has called Oklahoma home since 1998.
By: Sabine Brown
April 4, 2025 // Updated: April 4, 2025
Background: On Tuesday, March 25, 2025, the Oklahoma State Senate passed Senate Bill 484, by Sen. Lisa Standridge, R-Norman. SB 484 now advances to the House. SB 484 would prohibit any Oklahoma city with a population less than 300,000 from… Read more [More...]
By: Sabine Brown
April 1, 2025 // Updated: April 1, 2025
It’s been 16 years since Congress raised the minimum wage. Since then, rents have risen by 60 percent. The predictable result of this mismatch is drastic increases in eviction filings and homelessness. [See Oklahoma specific homeless data] Low-wage workers –… Read more [More...]
By: Sabine Brown
March 19, 2025 // Updated: March 19, 2025
The Housing Choice Voucher Program is a federally funded program that assists low-income households afford housing on the private market. Local public housing agencies receive funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and administer the vouchers in… Read more [More...]
By: Sabine Brown
March 14, 2025 // Updated: March 17, 2025
Updated 3/17/2025 to note floor vote on HB 1129.
– – –
Oklahoma’s housing crisis continues to be a statewide issue as seen through rising evictions, increasing rates of homelessness, and a severe lack of affordable housing options. These growing… Read more [More...]
By: Sabine Brown
January 14, 2025 // Updated: January 27, 2025
There are many causes to homelessness, but the one central piece we hear time and again is that there is a lack of affordable housing available to everyday Oklahomans.
There is a growing disparity between housing costs and wages, not… Read more [More...]
By: Sabine Brown
August 19, 2024 // Updated: August 19, 2024
The newly formed Interagency Council on Homelessness of Oklahoma, which is filling the void left by the shuttering of the governor's council. While our council is not officially a state entity, we will carry on our predecessors' work crafting a statewide plan to address homelessness, tracking data, and coordinating care among providers to ensure all Oklahomans have shelter. [More...]
By: Sabine Brown
June 3, 2024 // Updated: June 4, 2024
Oklahoma does not have enough housing, especially for low-income families. The state has a severe shortage of housing that is affordable for extremely low-income renters and evictions are on the rise. As pandemic-related rental assistance ends, the situation will become more dire. [More...]
By: Sabine Brown
March 30, 2024 // Updated: April 1, 2024
Proposals to criminalize homelessness are harmful and counterproductive. Research shows us that the best way to combat homelessness is to increase access to affordable housing. [More...]
By: Sabine Brown
January 31, 2024 // Updated: February 7, 2024
State leaders often say the answer to housing instability is a job – but jobs don’t help if they don’t pay enough. Wages have risen at less than half the rate of rent for the last two decades, putting working… Read more [More...]
By: Sabine Brown
December 14, 2023 // Updated: October 15, 2024
Ending single-family zoning and allowing small multi-family homes is a proven path to improved housing availability and affordability; it’s one that Oklahoma policymakers should consider. [More...]
OKPOLICY.ORG
Background: On Tuesday, March 25, 2025, the Oklahoma State Senate passed Senate Bill 484, by Sen. Lisa Standridge, R-Norman. SB 484 now advances to the House. SB 484 would prohibit any Oklahoma city with a population less than 300,000 from… Read more [More...]
It’s been 16 years since Congress raised the minimum wage. Since then, rents have risen by 60 percent. The predictable result of this mismatch is drastic increases in eviction filings and homelessness. [See Oklahoma specific homeless data] Low-wage workers –… Read more [More...]
Updated 3/17/2025 to note floor vote on HB 1129.
– – –
Oklahoma’s housing crisis continues to be a statewide issue as seen through rising evictions, increasing rates of homelessness, and a severe lack of affordable housing options. These growing… Read more [More...]
There are many causes to homelessness, but the one central piece we hear time and again is that there is a lack of affordable housing available to everyday Oklahomans.
There is a growing disparity between housing costs and wages, not… Read more [More...]
The newly formed Interagency Council on Homelessness of Oklahoma, which is filling the void left by the shuttering of the governor's council. While our council is not officially a state entity, we will carry on our predecessors' work crafting a statewide plan to address homelessness, tracking data, and coordinating care among providers to ensure all Oklahomans have shelter. [More...]
Oklahoma does not have enough housing, especially for low-income families. The state has a severe shortage of housing that is affordable for extremely low-income renters and evictions are on the rise. As pandemic-related rental assistance ends, the situation will become more dire. [More...]
Proposals to criminalize homelessness are harmful and counterproductive. Research shows us that the best way to combat homelessness is to increase access to affordable housing. [More...]
State leaders often say the answer to housing instability is a job – but jobs don’t help if they don’t pay enough. Wages have risen at less than half the rate of rent for the last two decades, putting working… Read more [More...]
Ending single-family zoning and allowing small multi-family homes is a proven path to improved housing availability and affordability; it’s one that Oklahoma policymakers should consider. [More...]
