Oklahoma City, OK – June 15, 2026

For Oklahoma’s neighbors experiencing homelessness, tomorrow’s vote on the statewide minimum wage could make all the difference in their pursuit of permanent housing.

City Care, a nonprofit organization offering low-barrier night shelter, permanent supportive housing, and housing navigation programs, meets neighbors experiencing homelessness each day who did everything “right.” These individuals and families often had employment, education, or even sought out supportive resources; but at the end of the day, still could not make ends meet.

This reality is far too common in Oklahoma, and its cause is not a mystery. The homelessness crisis in the state is a predictable outcome of housing costs rising while wages remain stagnant. A 2020 statistical analysis from the U.S. Government Accountability office using data from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) found that for every hundred dollars that rent increases, there is a 9% rise in the rate of homelessness nationally.

You can read the full USGA report and HUD findings here.

“Our state is often cited as an affordable place to live, but that isn’t true for all,” shared Rachel Freeman, President and CEO at City Care. “More than 45% of Oklahomans make less than the area median income, making them housing burdened before a health crisis, divorce, or unexpected expenses; all common human experiences. When a paycheck can’t keep up with the cost of living, housing becomes increasingly fragile. And without intervention, that gap will eventually push people out of their housing altogether.” 

View the 2025 United Way of Tulsa ALICE Report here.

The state’s metropolitan areas have made immense progress toward reducing homelessness in their communities. For the first time since 2023, the annual Oklahoma City Point-in-Time (PIT) Count saw a 1% overall decrease in homelessness, and for the first time since 2020, the Tulsa PIT Count did not see an increase in homelessness.

However, there’s still work to be done. In Oklahoma City alone, the 2026 PIT count reported that family homelessness has increased 71% and youth homelessness has increased 50% since 2022.

“We have an incredible network of service providers through city partnerships like Key to Home and A Way Home for Tulsa working throughout the year to help our neighbors find permanent living situations and stable means to maintain them,” said Freeman. “But we cannot do this work alone. If we want to create lasting, systemic change, it will take all of us; nonprofits, employers, policymakers, faith communities, and residents; working together to strengthen the economic foundations that keep people housed and maximize the impact of the work already happening across our community.”

On Tuesday, June 16, Oklahoma voters will have an opportunity to decide on State Question 832, a petition that would increase the state’s minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2029. The last time minimum wage rose was 2009, bringing the state to seventeen years in 2026 since the last increase. In that same time period, the cost of living has increased by 50%.

Oklahoma also falls behind other states in the midwest, including Arkansas, which has a minimum wage of $11.00, and Nebraska and Missouri, which have a minimum wage of $15. An increase in the minimum wage would affect a significant portion of the state, with the Economic Policy Institute analysis showing approximately 350,000 – 20 percent – of Oklahomans would be impacted by the measure.

“A change in the minimum wage could determine whether our families, friends, loved ones, and neighbors can earn enough to stay housed, absorb life's unexpected challenges, and build community,” said Freeman. “At City Care, we will remain committed to our work to walk alongside each of our neighbors, and we invite our community to join us in fostering long-term solutions.”