Tulsa officials report a 4% rise in homelessness in 2025 Point‑in‑Time count; housing placements lag supply

City of Tulsa staff and homelessness service partners told the Public Works Committee the 2025 Point‑in‑Time (PIT) count identified 1,449 people experiencing homelessness on the night of Jan. 23, 2025 — a 4% increase from the same count in 2024 — and outlined challenges in rehousing capacity and affordability.

Emily (Housing Solutions staff) explained the PIT count process, which HUD requires for communities that receive federal homeless‑assistance funding: it counts people who were in emergency shelter beds, transitional housing, safe‑haven programs and those found during street canvasses. “We identified 1,449 individuals, who were experiencing homelessness on the midnight of January 23,” Emily said, and clarified that the count does not include people doubled up in hotels or couch surfing because HUD’s methodology excludes those situations.

Presentation slides and staff commentary showed the nightly tally included 812 people in emergency shelters (including 151 cold‑weather overflow beds used that night), 496 in places not meant for human habitation (encampments,…