TULSA, Okla. — With rising costs, juggling rent along with everyday payments has hit families hard.
2 News Oklahoma caught up with local developers aiming to create more affordable housing in the local economy.
It’s not the first time we’ve spoken to them about their mission to help give our neighbors a leg-up when they need it most.
Local News
‘All they need is a chance’: Tulsa developer hoping to combat low-income issue
Maggie Robinson runs Robinson Properties alongside her husband, Casey Robinson.
For one of their next projects, the Robinsons are working on gutting and remodeling a housing development in east Tulsa to convert it into an eight-unit sober living house for men 55 and over who are recovering from addiction or incarceration.
It’s meant to serve as a stepping stone for them to ease back into society.
The Robinsons will charge about $400 a month for rent, including utilities.
“We found that, you know, a lot of them start and they’ve got like, an income of like $1,000,” said Maggie. “So they need something really cheap, which is difficult to find.”
She said in order to stop dangerous cycles, there needs to be a price range that will allow people to survive on minimum wage.
“We don’t want to be pricing people out of neighborhoods or anything along those lines,” said Maggie. “But especially with this boarding house concept, we also intend to run it more like a family home.”
According to recent data published by Tulsa County, Tulsa County experiences higher rates of fatal and non-fatal overdoses compared to Oklahoma County and the statewide averages.
In 2023, Tulsa County had 298 fatal overdoses.
The Robinsons said they want to provide a safe space to lower these numbers.
“We’re still trying to figure out how we’re going to manage this,” said Casey. “It’s not off the table that we could be working with a nonprofit, and the nonprofit could supply casework. We’ve also explored the option that we would actually manage it. Obviously, we don’t have control over what people do, but this is a sober living house. If someone decides to start using or drinking again, they will be asked to leave.”
The Robinsons hope to open up the complex early next year.
2 News will keep you updated on this story.
Isabel Flores is your North & East Tulsa reporter.
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