Retirement should be a time of financial stability and a time to enjoy the fruits of a lifetime of work, but for many seniors, retirement comes with housing insecurity and homelessness. Without prompt action, this worrisome trend will become more…
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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…
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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 –…
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Updated 3/17/2025 to note floor vote on HB 1129.
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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…
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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…
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By:
Vivian Morris
November 26, 2024 // Updated: November 26, 2024
The state's minimum wage is a contributing factor to our long-standing poverty. Wage compensation has significant consequences for Oklahoma and especially rural Oklahomans of color.
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Targeted tax credits can be used as a tool to fight poverty in Oklahoma. The tax system is a critical part of the safety net with more than a third of all public support for U.S. families delivered through tax provisions. Hence, tax credits can drastically decrease poverty.
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When speaking about poverty in Oklahoma, we need to address three things: What is poverty? Who is in poverty? What can we do to help people move out of poverty?
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Lawmakers have options to improve Oklahomans’ well-being, access to prosperity
Data from the Census Bureau’s 2023 American Community Survey released Sept. 12 show that Oklahoma’s poverty rate was 15.9 percent, which was the nation’s sixth highest. The national poverty rate…
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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.
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