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Tulsa’s 'Better Way' program credited with moving hundreds into jobs and housing, officials say
Summary
City officials and participants described the Better Way program — a city-funded work program that pairs day labor with case management — as connecting people experiencing homelessness to jobs, housing and behavioral health services; officials said more than 3,000 people had been helped through the program.
Mayor G.T. Bynum and program participants described Better Way as a city-funded alternative to panhandling that pairs short-term work with case management and employment services.
Officials said the program picks up people who otherwise might be panhandling and provides a day’s wage for work such as parks cleanup, with case managers and employment specialists meeting participants during lunch to connect them to longer-term work, mental-health care and housing resources. In remarks included in the briefing, the city said “over 3,000 people have been helped through this program,” and speakers described dozens moved into housing and hundreds connected with employment and mental-health services.
One participant described signing up after encountering program staff and said the program connected them with a job they still held at the time of the briefing. The city said the program operates in partnership with Mental Health Association Oklahoma and credited the initiative as the first of its kind in the state.
Officials framed Better Way as one element of a broader yearlong city effort on homelessness, housing and mental health, and as one of more than 20 initiatives launched following a task force convened by the mayor and council. The briefing did not include a comprehensive budget line-item for Better Way in the presentation; officials said the program is city-funded and that case management is provided by partner agencies.
