What Would $700 Million Get Us?

The $700 million dollar question is, “What would this type of money get Tulsa?”  I knew nothing about this Nexus Project until just a few weeks ago. It’s basically several large companies partnering with the city and other entities to redevelop NW downtown Tulsa, with a large professional soccer arena and mixed-use development re-shaping this area of downtown. In the process, they would need to purchase and demolish not only the John 3:16 Mission, but also the Salvation Army, Iron Gate, and Day Center for the Homeless.

These four non-profit organizations have been caring for Tulsa’s most vulnerable neighbors on the streets for many years. I’ve personally supported all 4, especially John 3:16 and the Salvation Army, for many years. They all do great and much-needed work with people trying to survive living on the streets. At Eden Village, several of our residents came from referrals from these organizations, where they now have permanent supported housing in a community setting. And yes, our neighbors experiencing homelessness and other issues do congregate there, as this area along Archer Street and close by are where these services are provided, with food, shelter, mental health, and housing issues to name a few.

In my opinion, the real reason for this is not soccer, more restaurants, more artsy stuff, and more mid to upper income housing. It’s money, along with an attempt to move all of these people experiencing homelessness out of downtown Tulsa. And hey, I get it, we all want a safe and vibrant downtown. Do we really need more restaurants?

The real question is, where are these thousands of folks in need going to go then?  It’s a hard ask for these four organizations to just pack up and leave to a new site, even if that is all paid for with this initiative. And then wherever they would possibly end up, I’m sure the NIMBYs there would have issues with this. This would be so disruptive to all, especially our friends on the streets.

So, here’s my simple take, as I’m a pretty simple and straightforward person. If we took just 20% of that $700M, or $140M, and invested that in permanent supported housing such as we have at Eden Village, we could produce 1,076 tiny homes, in communities of 50 or so, with a community center, staff support, and real results. WE know the numbers work, as we are proving this model works. We’ve built and now have open our 63 tiny home community, with a community center, and even a small working farm, for $7.6M, or about $120K/unit. We have neighbors living and thriving there, from 3 months up to almost 2 years. We have over a 90% retention rate, meaning that of all the folks we’ve accepted into Eden Village, over 90% are not homeless anymore. We’ve done this for $120k/unit, so even at $130K/unit, the math is on our side.

It sure seems to me that the real answer is to just build homes, and way more of them.  With over 1,000 new homes, on top of what we have and with what the other non-profit in North Tulsa is doing, then BOOM…….we pretty much solve the homelessness crisis. By taking over 1,000 off the streets and shelters, then we have much fewer people to feed, shelter, and provide emergency services for. There will always be a need for these things though, but wouldn’t it be great if the need was 90% less! Then these organizations could focus more on the remaining folks and do an even better job with their healing and restoration. And, maybe even with a smaller footprint. With all due respect to them, the perfect scenario is to work us all out of a job in this homelessness battle.  

Yes, this sounds simple, but very daunting, and some would say unrealistic. It’s what we call a BHAG in the business world, a Big Hairy Audacious Goal. We have to start somewhere though, and we’ve already started with Eden Village 1, along with City Lights, and soon an Eden Village 2 where we hope to add another 50 tiny homes by winer of 2027. WE are proving the model, we just have to figure out ways to fund and duplicate this, along with getting way more people involved. We, or any organization, cannot do it all though.

If Tulsa can do things like build one of the best public parks in the country, re-build one of the best art museums in the country, build one of the best arenas in the county, and even look at this $700M monstrosity, couldn’t we take even 20% of that and create a city where nobody has to sleep outside? I’ve often stated that the way that a community cares for the least of these says a lot about the heart and soul of a city. Tulsa is a great city. I was born and raised here. It’s just a matter of deciding if we have the community and political will to make this happen.