Tulsa shelter urges people to head indoors during cold weather after woman found dead nearby

TULSA, Okla. — The discovery of a woman found dead outdoors early Wednesday, across the street from the Tulsa Day Center near West Archer Street and North Denver Avenue, was a gut punch for the center’s Executive Director Mack Haltom.

“Anytime we hear of death, someone on the street, it just hurts me because that’s what we do here, we want to take care of people, and shelter people that are experiencing homelessness,” he said.

While the cause of the woman’s death is under investigation by the Tulsa Police Department, the fact that it happened on a bitterly cold October day is not lost on Haltom.

“Get inside, find a place to get inside where it’s warm, whether it be a shelter, or maybe they can buddy up with a friend for a while,” he said. “But get inside when it’s brutally cold like this.”

Haltom said he doesn’t know if the woman was one of their clients or not.

Safety is a big issue for women according to Insha Caldwell, who said she is currently experiencing homelessness.

“A lot of the time we have to travel in pairs, you know, to keep each other safe because even during the daytime there’s a lot of predatory individuals out here,” she said. “You have a lot of people who are not really mentally sound, and don’t really know what they’re doing, and it’s just hard.”

Volunteer coordinator Co Edwards showed us where the mats are kept for women and men in need of a place to sleep at night. The shelter can accommodate up to 85 people overnight.

The goal of the Tulsa Day Center, however, is to help people get back on their feet, and into their own homes. According to Edwards, the center helps transition individuals and families into permanent housing. She said they successfully placed more than 550 individuals and families into homes last year.

Edwards said the biggest challenge they face is the lack of affordable housing.

FOX23 asked Tulsa City Councilor Connie Dodson about that during a Zoom call on Wednesday afternoon.

“We literally have homeless walking around with vouchers in hand that are still on the street or in communal shelters because there’s not available units out there,” she said. “Our goal with this would be to find community partners that are looking to potentially rehab some of our closed down motels or apartment units, things like that,” she added.

Dodson said the Tulsa Regional Chamber’s recent annual Intercity visit, this year to Denver, gave them a chance to see tiny home villages and safe outdoor shelters.

FOX23 also asked City Councilor Jayme Fowler what he walked away with when it comes to addressing the issue of homelessness after the chamber’s visit to Denver:

“One of the things that Denver’s been able to do very successfully number one is this, deeply embed mental health professionals with the police department,” he said. “Having a co-responder model where you have mental health professionals that immediately respond with police officers out to a call, and then from there they go to a mental health assessment center, and also code sharing.”

While the conversation about addressing homelessness in Tulsa continues, those charged with the care of the city’s homeless are pleading with people to head indoors when the temperatures drop.

Other downtown shelters that offer overnight stays include the John 3:16 mission at 506 North Cheyenne Avenue and the Salvation Army’s Center of Hope at 102 North Denver Avenue.

Residents who see someone in need of shelter against the elements are encouraged to contact Housing Solutions’ Street Outreach Team at 918-956-0534.