Senators Kirt and Hall join for second interim study on affordable housing shortage

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City, and Sen. Chuck Hall, R-Perry, are continuing their efforts to address Oklahoma’s housing shortage. On Thursday, the Senate Finance Committee held an interim study requested jointly by Kirt and Hall to examine Oklahoma’s ongoing housing shortage and look at what is being done at the local and state level to provide solutions. This marks the second year in a row the two have collaborated on the issue. 

“Ensuring Oklahoma has an ample supply of affordable and available homes is not a partisan issue, and that’s why I’m proud to work across the aisle to find housing solutions that help all Oklahomans,” Hall said. “We’ve talked about this issue at the Capitol for years. Now is the time for action.” 

The interim study included a presentation from the University of Oklahoma on its Housing Needs Assessment Project, a collaborative effort between the university and the Oklahoma Housing Finance Authority (OHFA). The public web portal estimates the supply of housing units and demand for housing in Oklahoma. Kirt said the data gives important insight on challenges faced by Oklahomans based on income. 

“Those earning an average wage in our state may be doing okay in terms of finding places they can live, but our market offers almost nothing for low-income folks and very low-income folks, leaving them nowhere that they can afford to live,” Kirt said. “It means they are either spending more than they can afford, which contributes to our eviction crisis, or they’re ending up homeless. We need to address the root causes of some of our challenges.” 

New homes are under construction, the committee learned, as part of the Oklahoma Housing Stability Program. The program includes $215 million in funding aimed at increasing the availability of housing with a majority of the funds earmarked for housing in rural Oklahoma. Hall was Senate author of the measure.  So far, the Oklahoma Housing Finance Authority has awarded about third of the zero-interest loans to private developers creating 21 housing projects in 17 counties. More funding is still available. 

“This is a historic investment by the state, and I am grateful to Senator Hall for his bipartisanship on this issue as we continue to work together to address the need of all Oklahomans to be able to access safe, affordable housing,” Kirt said. 

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For more information, contact:
Sen. Julia Kirt, 405-521-5636 or Julia.Kirt@oksenate.gov.
Sen. Chuck Hall, 405-521-5628 or Chuck.Hall@oksenate.gov.