Oklahoma has been awarded $18.3 million in federal funding to support homelessness programs across the state. The money comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as part of a $3.6 billion national initiative to address homelessness, backed by the Biden-Harris administration in its final days.
Most of the funding in Oklahoma will go to projects in Tulsa and Oklahoma City, where homelessness programs provide housing assistance, supportive services and resources for planning and data collection.
The funding is part of HUD’s Continuum of Care (CoC) Program, the largest federal grant source for homelessness services.
Nearly 400 CoC communities nationwide applied for this year’s funding, and over 7,000 projects were approved, including programs run by nonprofit providers, states, local governments and Indian Tribes or Tribally Designated Housing Entities.
HUD has made several updates to the program this year, including a streamlined two-year application process and a cost-of-living adjustment to help communities manage rising expenses. The changes are designed to get resources to communities faster while providing better support for frontline workers.