Oklahoma City is experiencing a surge in people considered “chronically homeless.” This means more people have been homeless for a year or longer or have been homeless multiple times in the last several years.
A large percentage of those who are chronically homeless are also experiencing unsheltered homelessness. People experiencing chronic and unsheltered homelessness are typically the hardest to serve, most visible, and most costly to the community due to reactive measures such as litter abatement, emergency response and court costs.
Housing is proven to be the most effective way to end homelessness and stabilize people's lives. Prioritizing chronically homeless individuals and moving those sleeping in encampments directly into housing allows us to expand capacity to move people through the coordinated response system more quickly and efficiently.
The Key to Home Partnership adopted a plan to rehouse 500 people in Oklahoma City by the end of 2025 through our flagship program, the Encampment Rehousing Initiative (ERI). ERI targets unsheltered homelessness by bringing services and resources directly to encampments with a goal of closing the site in an expedited 4-6 weeks.
The Partnership met its goal to rehouse 500 unsheltered homeless individuals in Oklahoma City through the Encampment Rehousing Initiative by the end of 2025. ERI work continues.
Track ERI's Progress
Here are before-and-after photos of a recent encampment rehousing success story off General Pershing. Key to Home secured 45 people housing over the course of 4-6 weeks.
National data* shows that chronically homeless individuals cost taxpayers an average of $35,000 per year in crisis services. This means that in OKC, the 412 unsheltered homeless individuals identified in the 2026 Point in Time count cost taxpayers over $14 million per year, year after year. We can reduce the cost burden to our community by permanently rehousing our unsheltered and chronically homeless neighbors through aligning public and private resources. A one-time cost of about $20,000 will provide 12 months of housing and support that can make long-term stabilization possible.
*Data Source