Tulsa’s 41st mayor Monroe Nichols IV has spent his first year in office prioritizing tackling homelessness, boosting student success, enhancing public safety and increasing affordable housing. We caught up with Nichols and got his thoughts on …
… ending homelessness in Tulsa by 2030.
Our goal of reaching functional zero homelessness by 2030 is ambitious, but after one year in office, we’re proving it’s achievable. The progress we’re making is the result of deep coordination across departments, across agencies and across the nonprofit, private and philanthropic sectors. Earlier this year, I signed an executive order on homelessness establishing four priorities: a coordinated multi-agency encampment decommissioning plan; expanding shelter capacity; preparing for winter weather; and reducing evictions. We’ve acted on each of those: Our winter shelter opened this November and is serving Tulsans in need, helping expand the number of beds we have available this winter; we have reached an agreement with Tulsa County to purchase the former Juvenile Detention Center so we can establish Tulsa’s first true low-barrier shelter; our eviction mitigation coalition is now meeting, bringing landlords, renters and service providers to the same table; and alongside our partners, we recently launched Safe Move Tulsa – Tulsa’s coordinated effort to end street homelessness.
… focusing on day-to-day maintenance and long-term infrastructure.
A great city has to deliver on both: the basics that residents see every day, and the long-term investments that shape our future. Over the last several years, Tulsans voted three different times to implement critical infrastructure projects that we’re now seeing implemented across our city. We’re delivering on what we promised and creating a city that is more resilient and ready for our future. Because of these investments, Tulsa is continuing to see the largest streets improvements project in our city’s history, and I’m proud of the continuous work of our teams to deliver on that investment.
At the same time, we’re improving internal systems: streamlining permitting, strengthening department coordination, and creating tools that allow residents to track progress in real time. That means we can handle the day-to-day streetlights, potholes, and repairs more efficiently while still moving forward on major projects like housing expansion, public safety investments, and economic development.
… addressing recruitment and retention challenges within the police department.
Like cities across the country, Tulsa faces a police staffing shortage. In November, I was honored to … tag along with the TPD recruiting team on a trip to UNT in Denton, Texas. That was a great reminder of what it takes to bring the best to Tulsa, and I know if we continue to prioritize our officers and our public safety teams through investment, we’ll bring the best and brightest to Tulsa. Over the last year, we graduated two police academies, and another is underway with some of the strongest enrollment in recent memory. Crime is down across all levels, even with staffing challenges, which speaks to the professionalism and dedication of our officers. But public safety is no longer just the responsibility of law enforcement. We’ve expanded mental health response teams, diverting more than 4,000 calls from police and fire to trained clinicians. These numbers are a great reminder that safety is strongest when enforcement and community engagement work hand in hand. That’s why we’re planning to launch a Community Task Force to provide ongoing input on our Alternative Response Strategy.
… what “success” would look like at the end of his first term.
Success to me means Tulsans can look around their city and clearly see the difference we’ve made: Fewer people living on the streets because we scaled the strategies that work; 6,000 new affordable housing units that were built, blight that was significantly reduced and our neighborhoods were revitalized; police and fire departments that are fully staffed, well supported, and have the alternative strategies in place to thrive; children with safe places to go after school, robust summer learning opportunities and a pathway to economic mobility; businesses – large and small – choosing to invest here because we invested in ourselves; and tribal nations, working hand-in-hand with the City to make Tulsa the best city it can be. Most of all, I hope Tulsans can see that we’re facing big challenges, and instead of backing down, we’re stepping up and choosing progress.
… creating avenues for residents to engage directly with City Hall.
Tulsans expect to be engaged in the decisions shaping their city, and we are meeting that expectation by making government more accessible and transparent. Since I took office, we’ve held ten Community Conversations across Tulsa to talk about our vision, share our City leadership and hear from Tulsans about what matters most to them. We’ve launched tools to make us more transparent – including the Housing Tracker Map so residents can see exactly where development is happening and track our priorities around housing in real-time. And we’re also engaging directly with families through the new Office of Children, Youth and Families, which is led in partnership with ImpactTulsa. All of this work is led with the intent to bring Tulsans of all backgrounds together to hear their voices and expertise to help shape the future of our city.
… what drives and grounds him.
I’m grounded in the belief that the best indicator on how a city is doing is how it treats vulnerable people, particularly its children and youth. I remind myself of that every day and it’s something that sticks with me every time I enter City Hall. While public life can be demanding, staying connected to residents, listening to their experiences, their frustrations and their hopes is something that I take with me everywhere I go. I mentioned this in my State of the City speech, but moments like sitting down with the East Central Girls Flag Football Team and hearing what they need from their city – which was “safe places to go that don’t cost a lot of money, and job opportunities” – remind me why this work truly matters. At the end of the day, it is an honor of a lifetime to serve as mayor, and the responsibility itself keeps me grounded.
…improving student outcomes.
Improving outcomes for young people is core to our vision for Tulsa’s future. That’s why we created the Office of Children, Youth, and Families that is staffed by ImpactTulsa and designed to work directly with schools, nonprofits, and higher education partners to align efforts. Our goal is to put 15,000 additional Tulsa children on a path to economic mobility by 2030. Already, the office has established a Children’s Cabinet and helped coordinate the City’s response when families lost SNAP benefits and federal worker lost pay. We’re also developing a youth workforce initiative that would create 1,200 job opportunities for teens and open 22,000 after-school slots every year. These initiatives link students to education, enrichment, mentorship, and career pathways. From cradle to career, our role is to build strong partnerships and create the conditions where every child in Tulsa can thrive.
