Tulsa city and county officials gathered with nonprofit leaders Tuesday morning to announce plans for Tulsa’s first low-barrier homeless shelter, The Harbor. The public-private partnership is largely funded by the Ruth Nelson Family Foundation and the Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation. It is set to be owned by an LLC under the Zarrow Foundation and will be managed by Oklahoma City’s City Care.
The shelter will be located at the former Tulsa County G. A. Bob Evans Juvenile Center, west of downtown in a medium industrial zone south of the Keystone Expressway. The project is currently in the construction phase, with Crossland Construction employees working on the $17 million project. The Nelson Foundation provided $8 million for construction, while the Zarrow Foundation provided $9 million.
The project is planned to provide a 23,000-square-foot shelter with capacity for 180 adults, a day center and a 38-dog kennel for individuals with pets.
Dozens of Tulsans turned out for Tuesday’s announcement, filling the entry portion of the building as Mayor Monroe Nichols, Tulsa District 4 Councilwoman Laura Bellis and nonprofit partners introduced the project.
“This an important day. It really defines how this community continues to respond to a challenge that we have in this community with compassion,” Nichols said. “We’ve got a long way to go — a long way to go — but I’ve got to tell you that it feels good that we are going there together.”
Nichols touted the opening of a winter weather shelter last year as a success in his mission to address Tulsa’s homelessness issues, and he said his administration also has been working with the Tulsa City Council on an eviction mitigation ordinance as part of the plan to end homelessness.
“We can all make sure that our commitment is not just in words, or good thoughts and good vibes, but in action,” Nichols said. “The Harbor was something I am not sure I had in my wildest dreams when I started talking about a low-barrier shelter, and to have an operator like City Care be a part of this means not only do we have a first-class structure, but we will have an operator doing the work and helping the folks that we are desperately trying to get back to a life of dignity and a life of opportunity.”
Bellis, whose district includes where the project will be built, praised the development by calling it a “long-time need” of the city while arguing it shows Tulsans’ commitment to the Oklahoma Standard.
“I woke up this morning thinking about how we live in this time where we look at the news and see so much cruelty and suffering, and how it is so phenomenal to be in a room right now where I see just a flood of a community of kindness,” Bellis said. “Everyone in here is here because they’re committed to kindness and compassion, and that’s a very beautiful thing as we embark on a really critical journey with this space.”
The facility is planned to open in December 2026.
Shelter comes after city-county spat
The Harbor project emerged after tense negotiations between the City of Tulsa and Tulsa County over the use of the former juvenile detention center. The Tulsa World reported on a dispute between Nichols’ administration and Tulsa County Commissioner Lonnie Sims over the facility in September, but local officials came to an agreement to transfer the property to the city in October.
Highlighting how they have moved past their disagreement, Sims attended the event and received praise from Nichols for his role in the project.
“I want to also thank my partners at the county. Thank you Lonnie, Lonnie Sims, for your help navigating and getting the transfer of this building over and all of the things that came along with it, and the work that you all continue to do in this area,” Nichols said.
Sims was not scheduled to speak at the event, but he was present in the front row.
“Thank you, mayor,” Sims said from his seat after he was acknowledged.
Both Nichols and Sims took office after the 2024 election, but they previously served in the Oklahoma House together representing different parts of Tulsa County.
