OKC MAPS PROJECTS – 25 YEARS
Younger residents under the age of 18 and older residents ages 65 and over both comprise a relatively small share of total residents reporting a disability. Those under 18 with a disability are found in only four tracts and in small numbers in each. Adults ages 65 and over with disabilities are spread more uniformly and found in most tracts in the study area. Homelessness Much of the city’s population of people experiencing homelessness is concentrated in the downtown study area. As a result, several non-profit organizations and public agencies addressing the needs of the homeless are also located in the area. One of the potential concerns over city revitalization due to MAPS is the elimination of affordable housing which worsens homelessness downtown. Sharply rising rents produce a falling standard of living for families, particularly those headed by low-skill and low-wage workers. In maintaining a count of the homeless, Oklahoma City uses federal funding from a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant to participate in an annual Point in Time (PIT) count. The count is completed on one day in January of each year, surveying a range of locations including emergency shelters, transitional housing, meal sites, day shelters, and a street count. This one-day count provides only a snapshot of city homelessness and does not provide a complete analysis of the issues. Figure 28 provides PIT counts of homelessness in Oklahoma City the past decade. In 2018, the one-day count identified 1,183 homeless men, women, and children. 36 Estimates suggest that the annual count in a community is four to five times its one-night PIT count. For Oklahoma City, this suggests 4,732 to 5,915 people who experienced homelessness in Oklahoma City in the most recent year. Figure 28. Point-in-Time Estimates of OKC Residents Experiencing Homelessness
1,000 1,200 1,400 1,600 1,800 2,000
1,930
1,511
1,481
1,475
1,415
1,368
1,362
1,303
1,300
1,221
1,183
1,081
0 200 400 600 800
07
08
09
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
Source: Oklahoma City Planning Department – Housing and Community Development Division
Homeless counts in 2018 are down slightly relative to both 2016 and 2017 and just below the average count of 1,329 the past decade. A general trend of increased PIT numbers was reported between 2010 and 2014 before trending to lower levels since 2016. While the estimates provide a citywide count, the population of those without permanent housing remains heavily concentrated in the downtown area.
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