Newly elected Republican State Senator Lisa Standridge introduced a bill this week that would ban city-sponsored homeless outreach efforts for most of Oklahoma.
The bill would bar cities and towns with fewer than 300,000 people from using city land to build homeless shelters. Those cities would also be banned from using city resources to provide unhoused individuals with programming or resources.
Any shelters or outreach programs supported by city resources would be forced to shut down by November 1, 2025.
The bill defines a “homeless person” as:
- A person who lacks a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence,
- A person whose primary nighttime residence is a publicly or privately operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations,
- Or a person whose nighttime residence, whether public or private, is not designed for regular sleeping accommodation for humans.
The bill also explicitly includes anyone who became homeless because they were fleeing from domestic violence.
Language in the bill is so broad that it would affect every city and town in the state except for Tulsa and Oklahoma City. It would also seemingly affect nearly every shelter in the state, possibly including women’s shelters and halfway homes.
Likewise, nothing in the bill makes exceptions for Oklahomans who have lost their homes due to natural disasters.
Bill faces backlash from community officials as its author, Sen. Lisa Standridge, stays silent.
Sen. Standridge has yet to comment on the bill, according to multiple reports. Homeless advocacy groups, however, have been quick to push back.
Meghan Miller, the CEO of Homeless Alliance, told The Oklahoman that the bill “would be going against the way that literally every other state is doing homeless services.”
Standridge’s bill comes on the heels of a recent state law passed that criminalized individuals sleeping on public land or in right-of-ways. Other efforts across the state have targeted support for the homeless, including Gov. Kevin Stitt’s 2023 decision to disband the state’s homeless council.
It’s unclear whether the bill has the support of the Oklahoma Senate Republican caucus. The bill will have to pass through committee before it can make it to the House floor for a vote.
:What a cruel, heartless thing to do. If local churches, charity groups, etc., want to help the homeless population in their community, they should be allowed to.