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Operation SAFE Launches in Oklahoma City With 12 Moved to Shelter on Day One

Key to Home leads a six-week outreach on state property to connect people to shelter under a safety-focused state cleanup.

Overview

  • Gov. Kevin Stitt announced Monday that the state-led Operation SAFE is now underway in Oklahoma City, focusing on encampments on state-owned property.
  • The Oklahoma Highway Patrol and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation are directing cleanups and say cleared areas will be monitored to deter repopulation.
  • Key to Home is coordinating more than 50 public, private, and nonprofit partners in an expedited six-week plan that brings outreach teams directly into camps.
  • Key to Home reported at least 12 people accepted shelter placements on the first day, with staff working to create housing pathways for each person engaged.
  • Reactions diverged as Senate Democratic leader Julia Kirt criticized the approach and urged more affordable housing, while Mayor David Holt cited nearly 500 rehousing placements and four years of declining unsheltered homelessness.