Results came from the latest annual Point in Time Count, a 24-hour citywide survey conducted on January 23, 2025.
The count, designed to give a “snapshot” of what homelessness looks like on a given night, found 1,882 people were living outside, staying in shelters or transitional housing. This year’s increase is part of an overall upward trend from 1,273 people experiencing homelessness in 2019.
Key to Home, the public-private partnership that conducts the count, hosted an event Tuesday to announce the latest findings.
“We're not at equilibrium yet but we're moving toward it, and that's no small feat,” Key to Home’s homeless strategy implementation manager Jamie Caves, said.
The partnership reports, along with a more shallow increase, a larger percentage of this year’s total was made up of people found in transitional housing and shelters.
“That is a testament to the service providers in this room who have been pursuing a smart, unified strategy for two decades,” Mayor David Holt said to a room full of attendees. “I would be remiss if I did not express the gratitude of the people of Oklahoma City for your work.”
In front of the crowd, Holt addressed the main misconceptions he hears from constituents about homelessness, including the perception that most people experiencing it are not from the city or the state.
This year, 75% of people counted became homeless in Oklahoma City, and 87% became homeless in Oklahoma.
32% of the people counted were experiencing chronic homelessness, or have been homeless for at least a year, while struggling with a serious mental illness, substance use disorder or physical disability. Last year, the same population made up 44% of the total.
Overall, mental health disorders and drug use are not more common in homeless populations than in the general population, according to Erin Goodin, the president and CEO of City Rescue Mission.
Veterans, parenting youth and unaccompanied youth experiencing homelessness decreased in this year’s count. The number of families increased by 13%, which Key to Home attributes to rising rent costs, inflation, stagnant wages and high childcare costs.
Despite being in a more optimistic position than last year, leaders at Tuesday’s event said there’s still a lot of work to do. They said the city needs to expand housing options, invest in diversion and provide ongoing support to keep people housed.
“Homelessness is a complex and challenging issue, and to address it, we have to pursue complex, strategic, and sometimes, expensive solutions,” Holt said.
