by: Steve Shepelwich

Oklahoma is facing an affordable housing crisis driven by many factors. The mismatch of supply and demand, limited and aging housing stock, changing needs of smaller households and an aging population, rising construction costs and often restrictive zoning ordinances all play a role. However, it is often difficult to tease out their impacts on specific communities and local housing markets.

The External Link2024 Oklahoma Statewide Housing Needs Assessment has been developed to shine light on the state’s housing landscape and help communities understand how these issues are playing out in their local housing markets. A series of regional housing forums beginning in November will offer hands-on sessions for community leaders and professionals to learn how to leverage the assessment’s data to address local needs.

The photo is of Oklahoma City at night, taken from the air.

Oklahoma City at night lights up the sky.

Assessment offers a snapshot of housing needs in areas across Oklahoma

The 2024 Oklahoma Statewide Housing Needs Assessment presents a comprehensive picture of the state’s housing trends in affordability, availability, and population demographics. The Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) and the University of Oklahoma developed the assessment, intended to effectively guide housing and policy decisions.

“The new housing needs assessment is an incredible tool that will be used by numerous stakeholders across the State of Oklahoma and the nation,” Darrell Beavers said. “Never before have we been able to access live housing data at our fingertips in the form of a search engine that exhibits housing needs by city, town, county, census tract and across all income levels. It will be able to show a true snapshot of housing needs in any given area across the state.” Beavers is housing development director for the OHFA.

The assessment is presented through an interactive public web portal. The portal highlights the supply and demand for various types of housing in Oklahoma, identifying gaps and trends at the state, metropolitan and metro county levels.

Using this data, government and community leaders can better allocate housing resources, while developers can explore market opportunities based on current and projected needs. Users can draw conclusions from the data to inform specific, localized decisions in housing policy, program design, and future planning​.

“We hope the data and analysis in the needs assessment can be used by decision makers and officials to obtain a better understanding of housing markets that may lead to a more equitable distribution of resources to meet community needs,” Shawn Schaefer said. Schaefer is professor at the Gibbs College of Architecture at the University of Oklahoma. “The assessment can also provide information for market feasibility studies to housing developers and real estate professionals to determine the type and location of housing to develop.”

Nestled against old Route 66, Clinton, Oklahoma, has mainly one-story homes, mature trees, and plenty of grass. It's a sunny day, and the photo was taken from the air. You can see for miles.

Clinton, Oklahoma, is nestled against old Route 66.

Regional housing forums to begin in November

This winter, community stakeholders across Oklahoma will dive into the 2024 Oklahoma Statewide Housing Needs Assessment through a series of six regional housing forums. These forums will provide training to community leaders, housing advocates, and professionals on interpreting and applying the assessment data.

Attendees will also receive guidance on applying for funding through the Oklahoma Housing Stability Program, a $215 million initiative to facilitate the construction of single-family homes and rental units and help with down payments and closing costs.

“The Oklahoma Statewide Housing Assessment provides invaluable data that allows communities to tailor solutions to their unique needs, from new construction to housing rehabilitation," Wanda DeBruler said. DeBruler is founder of Housing for Communities, the host of the regional forums, and DeBruler, Inc. “By leveraging this information, we can foster collaboration and develop sustainable strategies supporting all Oklahomans' housing stability.”

The regional housing forums will be held at these dates and locations:

  • November 14, 2024 - Stillwater
  • December 11, 2024 - Enid
  • January 22, 2025 - Chickasha
  • January 30, 2025 - Oklahoma City
  • February 12, 2025 - Tulsa
  • February 19, 2025 - Ardmore

For more information and to register, visit External LinkEventbrite​.