TULSA, OK – Days after Gov. Kevin Stitt declared Operation SAFE complete on Sept. 17, 2025, local providers report minimal impact on shelters but growing strains on hospitals, parks and private spaces – exposing gaps in the operation’s relocation promises. How is the Tulsa mayor handling this issue?

John 3:16 and the Tulsa Day Center clarified virtually no increase to their daily operations. The Tulsa Day Center also reports many homeless individuals looking to hospital emergency rooms, city parks and private properties – amplifying concerns over uncoordinated efforts. An ER social worker at Saint Francis Hospital confirmed a major surge in homeless arrivals. Since Project SAFE’s implementation, many are claiming to be suicidal at the time of discharge in what seems like an effort to prolong their stay, according to her. This creates another challenge of extended wait times in emergency departments for those with true health needs.

In a Sept. 8 press conference published by KJRH-TV, Mayor Monroe Nichols criticized Operation SAFE for allegedly criminalizing homelessness especially through jail referrals. However, an organization called Housing Solutions Tulsa released a report in July stressing mental health and substance abuse issues (at least 71%) among unhoused residents. Housing Solutions Tulsa is partnering with Safe Move Tulsa. Safe Move Tulsa is receiving approximately $6 million for mental health services and rehousing efforts: over $4.3 million from the Walmart Opioid Settlement SubFund and the Pandemic Relief Recovery Fund, plus $1.5 million from the American Rescue Plan Act.

Compounding the debate, the Tulsa County Criminal Justice Authority’s Sept. 24 meeting featured Jail Administrator Stacie Holloway who stated Family & Children’s Center offers GED classes inside the jail. A representative of CREOKS also pitched a jail-based mental health pilot program, partnering with nonprofits and drug companies to “reduce recidivism” and “counter the opioid epidemic”. If these programs exist, why resist routing the unhoused there for support?

State and city leaders need to collaborate to find a solution to this crisis. While they debate, homeless people are stuck waiting for answers. Additionally, ERs are swamped and beds in shelters, treatment centers and jails sit empty.

(If you or anyone you know are facing homelessness, mental health issues, or addiction, find Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHC) providers via the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services site – scroll down and select “providers”: Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHC) or to find more housing solutions here: https://www.homelessalliance.org/)

Sources:

Monroe Nichols answers questions about Gov.’s Operation SAFE – YouTube

https://www.cityoftulsa.org/path-to-home/safe-move-tulsa/

Governor Stitt Announces Completion of Operation SAFE in Tulsa

Governor Stitt Launches Operation SAFE in Tulsa to Clear Homeless Encampments and Enforce the Law