An amended version of Senate Bill 484, which would impose zoning restrictions on homeless shelters in most Oklahoma cities, passed the Senate Local and County Government Committee 6-3 on Tuesday and will move to the state Senate.
The amended bill, authored by Sen. Lisa Standridge (R-Norman), would prohibit new homeless shelters from being approved within 3,000 feet of a school, school property, public library, municipal park, child or adult day care facility or pre-K facility in cities with less than 300,000 residents.
Tulsa and Oklahoma City are the only cities in Oklahoma with a population over 300,000.
The bill would not affect shelters already within 3,000 feet of the specified areas or shelters that existed before the development of those areas.
The bill would also require any entity proposing a shelter’s development to notify property owners within 1,000 feet of the proposed site. According to the bill, owners must receive written notice mailed within 30 days of a hearing to “preserve public safety.”
Domestic violence and youth shelters would not be subject to the bill, according to its language.
During the meeting, Standridge said the bill was necessary because of safety concerns in Norman.
“I can tell you with assurance that there is a safety issue in Norman because of the vagrant population,” Standridge said. “People do not feel safe, and yet this is a safety bill to ensure our children are kept safe.”
The original version of SB 484, which Standridge proposed in January, would have prevented municipalities with less than 300,000 residents from providing services to people experiencing homelessness. Under the bill, affected municipalities would have to terminate services and cease land use for shelters.
Standridge told The Norman Transcript on Jan. 14 that, if approved, the original version of the bill would have created “unintended consequences” due to it potentially banning domestic violence shelters.
“That was never the intent of the law, so that portion will be corrected when it’s in committee, and that is something that’s very easily done,” Standridge told the Transcript.
Background on Norman’s emergency shelter
In October 2022, Norman City Council entered into a contract with Food and Shelter, a nonprofit dedicated to providing services to people experiencing homelessness in Norman, to operate A Friend’s House, the city’s emergency shelter, by an 8-1 vote.
In March 2023, council extended the contract 8-1 to July 2023. After July 2023, council continued to extend the contract on a monthly basis.
In September, Food and Shelter announced it would part ways with the shelter after a report issued by the city accused the organization of mismanaging funds. Food and Shelter continued operating the shelter until City Care, an Oklahoma City-based nonprofit, took over operations in January.
Between September and November, council discussed finding a new operator and continuing the shelter. In October, Mayor Larry Heikkila and Ward 1 Councilmember Austin Ball said they believed the shelter should close.
On Nov. 26, council approved a new contract with City Care 5-4, terminating its contract with Food and Shelter. Ball, Heikkila, Ward 5 Councilmember Michael Nash and Ward 8 Councilmember Scott Dixon voted against the contract.
At a debate for the Feb. 11 mayoral election, Heikkila said he agreed with Standridge’s original bill, believing the city does not have the funds to support people experiencing homelessness.
This story was edited by Ana Barboza. Grace Rhodes and Avery Avery copy edited this story.
