{"id":753553,"date":"2025-12-08T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-08T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/?p=753553"},"modified":"2025-12-04T18:46:02","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T00:46:02","slug":"counting-the-invisible-why-rural-homelessness-stays-hidden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/12\/08\/counting-the-invisible-why-rural-homelessness-stays-hidden\/","title":{"rendered":"Counting the Invisible: Why Rural Homelessness Stays Hidden"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-custom-everlit-iframe-embed\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Everlit Audio Player\" src=\"https:\/\/everlit.audio\/embeds\/artl_6PEgDSmLDdK?client=wp&amp;client_version=2.6.0\" width=\"100%\" height=\"80px\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n\n<p>For the first time, Ada is building a day center where people who are homeless have a place to hang out and to get resources, a reflection of a trend in rural Oklahoma of more people having a harder time staying in stable housing.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sarah Frye, director of Ada Homeless Services, views the center as a positive move by directly addressing a community problem rather than being in denial. It provides a safe shelter for vulnerable people and gives the nonprofit a central place for outreach.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A bonus will be getting more accurate data on how many people are homeless in the city of about 16,500 residents.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe have a set amount of money for our homeless prevention programs and are seeing more applicants seeking more assistance each year,\u201d Frye said. \u201cWithout a doubt in the last 12 months, we have seen more new people facing homelessness and new people falling into homelessness.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe problems are the same for urban and rural homeless people,\u201d she said. \u201cThe difference is a lack of resources in rural areas. We\u2019re hoping the day center will be the answer to failed street outreach. It\u2019s hard doing street outreach. A tent may pop up but is gone by the time we can get there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Data about the depth of homelessness in rural areas is such a challenge that an accurate number doesn\u2019t exist, according to frontline homeless outreach workers in rural Oklahoma.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\t<div class=\"wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles is-style-borders wpnbha show-image image-alignright ts-4 is-1 is-landscape is-style-borders\" style=\"\">\n\t\t<div data-posts data-current-post-id=\"753553\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"article-section-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>the latest<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"754196\" class=\"tag-attorney-general tag-cdc tag-covid-19 tag-george-monks tag-measles tag-oklahoma-news tag-oklahoma-state-department-of-health tag-oklahoma-state-medical-association tag-whooping-cough category-health category-publichealth type-post post-has-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"post-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2026\/01\/05\/oklahoma-health-department-refuses-to-share-county-level-measles-data\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Monks_15-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-landscape-large size-newspack-article-block-landscape-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"Oklahoma Health Department Refuses to Share County-Level Measles Data\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Monks_15-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Monks_15-scaled.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Monks_15-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Monks_15-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Monks_15-scaled.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Monks_15-scaled.jpg?zoom=2&amp;resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 2400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Monks_15-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw \/ 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw \/ 12)), 100vw\">\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><!-- .featured-image -->\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2026\/01\/05\/oklahoma-health-department-refuses-to-share-county-level-measles-data\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Oklahoma Health Department Refuses to Share County-Level Measles Data<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/author\/paulmonies\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" alt=\"Avatar photo\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/cropped-Paul-Monies.jpg?resize=48%2C48&amp;ssl=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/cropped-Paul-Monies-96x96.jpg 2x\" class=\"avatar avatar-48 photo\" height=\"48\" width=\"48\"><\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"byline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"author-prefix\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author vcard\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/author\/paulmonies\/\">Paul Monies<\/a><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><!-- .author-name -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-01-05T06:01:00-06:00\">January 5, 2026<\/time><time class=\"updated\" datetime=\"2026-01-05T11:05:42-06:00\">January 5, 2026<\/time>\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-meta -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n<p>The federally mandated Point-In-Time Count from the U.S. Housing and Urban Development is a single-day count of homeless people held during the last two weeks in January. The first PIT report was produced in 2007 and involves asking a series of questions about demographics, health status and housing history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In metropolitan areas, an army of volunteers is trained to do the census with partner nonprofits such as shelters, food pantries, meal centers and other outreach locations. Urban city officials use the PIT in public policy decision-making.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s not the case in rural Oklahoma.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To get the count, HUD divides the country into Continuums of Care based on population. The nation\u2019s largest cities may have several Continuums of Care, while some rural areas span multiple counties. Ada is part of the Southeast Continuum of Care with 21 counties, totalling about 17,730 square miles that includes the dense forest of the Ouachita Mountains.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By comparison, the Oklahoma City <a href=\"https:\/\/mcmokc.org\/micahinfo\/#:~:text=Point%20in%20Time%20Count%20OKC,The%202025%20number%20is%201%2C882.\">PIT covers just its city limits<\/a> (621 square miles), and the Tulsa PIT includes the county of about 587 square miles.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 2025 PIT for the Southeast Continuum of Care shows 372 unsheltered people (24 of those younger than 18) and 329 in emergency shelter (89 of those younger than 18).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Point-In-Time Count is completely inaccurate for rural areas,\u201d Frye said. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot harder to count 21 counties than a single city that can put out coffee and doughnuts to get a count. You could take the rural numbers, multiply by 10 and still not even be close to right. There are some counties that probably don\u2019t get counted at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWith this being in January, during winter, homeless people disappear around here,\u201d she said. \u201cThey tend to have a friend or family that lets them stay during the cold months. By the HUD definition, they aren\u2019t homeless, but we know that they are.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The HUD definition of unsheltered homelessness is sleeping overnight in a place not intended for human habitation, such as cars, tents, parks and streets. Sheltered homelessness is defined as adequate nighttime residence but supervised as public or private shelters, which could be emergency shelters or transitional living programs.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those definitions mean people who are couch surfing with friends and family or staying temporarily in motels are not considered homeless. Some towns have anti-homeless ordinances that make it illegal to sleep in public spaces. If those areas have no shelters, then people who are homeless tend to hide, making it difficult for a PIT census.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Canon-EOS-1D-X-Mark-III-5472x3648_000754.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-753559\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Canon-EOS-1D-X-Mark-III-5472x3648_000754-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Canon-EOS-1D-X-Mark-III-5472x3648_000754-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Canon-EOS-1D-X-Mark-III-5472x3648_000754-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Canon-EOS-1D-X-Mark-III-5472x3648_000754-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Canon-EOS-1D-X-Mark-III-5472x3648_000754-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Canon-EOS-1D-X-Mark-III-5472x3648_000754-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Canon-EOS-1D-X-Mark-III-5472x3648_000754-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Canon-EOS-1D-X-Mark-III-5472x3648_000754-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1333&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Canon-EOS-1D-X-Mark-III-5472x3648_000754-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C520&amp;ssl=1 780w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Canon-EOS-1D-X-Mark-III-5472x3648_000754-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Canon-EOS-1D-X-Mark-III-5472x3648_000754-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C471&amp;ssl=1 706w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Canon-EOS-1D-X-Mark-III-5472x3648_000754-600x400.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A volunteer works inside Ada Homeless Services\u2019 soon-to-be-completed day center. (Brent Fuchs\/Oklahoma Watch)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The PIT results are reported to HUD, which considers that as part of a formula determining overall grant funding. This algorithm makes it difficult to know if, or how many, dollars are lost based on an undercount. Most rural housing and homeless advocates say other factors such as poverty rates hold greater weight, but it\u2019s unclear, says Amanda Ewing, executive director of the Oklahoma Association of Community Action Agencies.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Point-In-Time count is really more geared for urban and suburban areas and not well suited for Oklahoma,\u201d Ewing said.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Smaller populations mean fewer ranks of volunteers. Frye said she pulled in game wardens to let her know on the PIT day if they see any homeless people. Mostly, the census is based on volunteers and staff of agencies responsible for the count.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Northeast Oklahoma Continuum of Care has 11 counties covering about 6,840 square miles, including the Ozark mountains. Some cities, such as Vinita and Tahlequah, have concerted efforts, while counties such as Delaware are difficult to cover, said Lindi Conover, planner with the Northeast Oklahoma Community Action Agency, who is in charge of the count. On a strong year, she will have 70 volunteers, but it usually hovers closer to 45.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The PIT from this year showed 128 unsheltered people and 65 sheltered individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMost people hear that and say, \u2018That\u2019s impossible, that\u2019s wrong, I can find more people than that right now,\u2019\u201d Conover said. \u201cOur area is vast. We don\u2019t have the resources, the organization or the volunteers to do this sort of thing. Homelessness is not visible in rural areas. We don\u2019t have encampments like in cities or shelters where people gather. If people are in tents, it\u2019s way off the beaten path where they can\u2019t be found.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Conover said the undercount hurts on grants specifically relying on PIT to gauge need, but she is more concerned about a recent HUD announcement that would limit spending on permanent supportive housing programs to only 30% of its allocations to agencies. There has previously not been any restriction.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Permanent supportive housing programs offer indefinite rental assistance and supportive services for people with disabilities who are also homeless.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere are partner groups that use 100% of the allocation for permanent supportive housing because we know that\u2019s what helps people here the most,\u201d Conover said.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another consequence of inaccurate PIT leads to a lack of community awareness.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Atoka, City Councilor Erica Pogue, who is also the director of the Inca Community Action Agency, says it\u2019s difficult to advocate for public resources for homelessness without facts to show the problem.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cToo many people don\u2019t think there are homeless people here,\u201d Pogue said. \u201cI\u2019ve practically taken them to where homeless people live. We\u2019ve turned a blind eye to our homeless in rural places. I\u2019m not sure how many there are, but it\u2019s too many. We do not have shelters to get a count. It\u2019s hard to convince people about homeless issues when they can\u2019t see it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Atoka is also in the Southeast Continuum of Care, and Pogue\u2019s agency leads the PIT effort for Atoka County and three other counties.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\"><blockquote><p>\u201cThe bigger issue we have is not having housing to get people into.\u201d<\/p><cite>Erica Pogue<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe will have people looking for homeless people, but you\u2019re not going to find them in the daytime,\u201d Pogue said. \u201cWe use staff to drive around and mark down what they see, but that\u2019s not an efficient way to do this. You really need to go to where they are, but we\u2019re not going to ask staff to go into some areas because it\u2019s dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2017, the <a href=\"https:\/\/homelesslaw.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/HUD-PIT-report2017.pdf\">National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty released a report<\/a> detailing flaws in the PIT method that mirror challenges faced by rural frontline workers. It recommended expanding the definition of homelessness and moving to a design that allows for follow-up surveys, estimations and other ways to input information.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe results of the PIT counts \u2013 and even the trend data \u2013 are not necessarily accurate indicators of the success or failure of programs or policies that address homelessness,\u201d the report states.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pogue has been pushing for public investments into transitional housing programs because her agency\u2019s hotel rental assistance program isn\u2019t able to keep up with demand. It costs $1,000 to $1,500 to rent a three-bedroom home in Atoka, which isn\u2019t affordable on a $10- to $15-an-hour wage, she said. That\u2019s pushing more people into weekly rate hotels.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe spend money putting people in hotels, and if we had a shelter or transitional housing, it would be more effective and help a greater quantity of people,\u201d Pogue said. \u201cWhat we are currently doing works for our program, but transitional housing would provide long-term assistance and be better for the people to establish their lives sufficiently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhether we get a better Point-in-Time count or not isn\u2019t the pressing problem,\u201d she said. \u201cThe bigger issue we have is not having housing to get people into. With the housing, there are too many restrictions, such as felony convictions, and not enough to go around for all who need it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"140\" height=\"140\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/quJAe9Nm_400x400-140x140.jpg?resize=140%2C140&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-752506\" style=\"object-fit:cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/quJAe9Nm_400x400.jpg?resize=140%2C140&amp;ssl=1 140w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/quJAe9Nm_400x400.jpg?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/quJAe9Nm_400x400.jpg?resize=200%2C200&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/quJAe9Nm_400x400.jpg?resize=100%2C100&amp;ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/quJAe9Nm_400x400.jpg?w=400&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/quJAe9Nm_400x400-140x140.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 140px) 100vw, 140px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><em>Ginnie Graham is a Tulsa-based journalist and contributor to Oklahoma Watch<\/em>. <em>Contact her at <a href=\"mailto:ginniengraham@gmail.com\">ginniengraham@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:16px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\t<div class=\"wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles is-style-default wpnbha is-grid columns-3 colgap-1 show-image image-aligntop ts-3 is-3 is-landscape is-style-default\" style=\"\">\n\t\t<div data-posts data-current-post-id=\"753553\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"article-section-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>MORE FROM GINNIE GRAHAM <\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"753553\" class=\"tag-ada tag-day-center tag-homeless tag-hud tag-pit tag-point-in-time tag-rural tag-sara-frye category-vulnerable-populations type-post post-has-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"post-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/12\/08\/counting-the-invisible-why-rural-homelessness-stays-hidden\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Canon-EOS-1D-X-Mark-III-5472x3648_000695-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-landscape-large size-newspack-article-block-landscape-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"Counting the Invisible: Why Rural Homelessness Stays Hidden\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Canon-EOS-1D-X-Mark-III-5472x3648_000695-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Canon-EOS-1D-X-Mark-III-5472x3648_000695-scaled.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Canon-EOS-1D-X-Mark-III-5472x3648_000695-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Canon-EOS-1D-X-Mark-III-5472x3648_000695-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Canon-EOS-1D-X-Mark-III-5472x3648_000695-scaled.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Canon-EOS-1D-X-Mark-III-5472x3648_000695-scaled.jpg?zoom=2&amp;resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 2400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Canon-EOS-1D-X-Mark-III-5472x3648_000695-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw \/ 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw \/ 12)), 100vw\">\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><!-- .featured-image -->\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/12\/08\/counting-the-invisible-why-rural-homelessness-stays-hidden\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Counting the Invisible: Why Rural Homelessness Stays Hidden<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Rural Oklahoma\u2019s homeless population is vastly undercounted due to challenges with the federal Point-In-Time census. Advocates say the count, designed for urban areas, fails to capture homelessness spread across thousands of rural square miles, affecting funding and community awareness even as demand for housing assistance grows.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"entry-date published updated\" datetime=\"2025-12-08T06:00:00-06:00\">December 8, 2025<\/time>\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-meta -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"752507\" class=\"tag-anosognosia tag-bluye-team tag-homeless tag-jamie-caves tag-kelli-wilson tag-leap-institute tag-mental-health tag-mental-illness tag-mike-brose tag-staci-ownes tag-tulsa tag-xavier-amador category-vulnerable-populations type-post post-has-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"post-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/11\/04\/tulsas-blue-team-builds-trust-breaks-cycle-of-chronic-homelessness\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Owens_268-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-landscape-large size-newspack-article-block-landscape-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"Tulsa\u2019s Blue Team Builds Trust, Breaks Cycle of Chronic Homelessness\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Owens_268-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Owens_268-scaled.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Owens_268-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Owens_268-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Owens_268-scaled.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Owens_268-scaled.jpg?zoom=2&amp;resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 2400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Owens_268-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw \/ 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw \/ 12)), 100vw\">\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><!-- .featured-image -->\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/11\/04\/tulsas-blue-team-builds-trust-breaks-cycle-of-chronic-homelessness\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Tulsa\u2019s Blue Team Builds Trust, Breaks Cycle of Chronic Homelessness<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Tulsa\u2019s Blue Team is using a relationship-based model to help chronically homeless people with untreated mental illness find stability. The program has kept 42 of 43 clients housed, offering hope for a new statewide approach.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2025-11-04T06:00:00-06:00\">November 4, 2025<\/time><time class=\"updated\" datetime=\"2025-12-01T12:07:17-06:00\">December 1, 2025<\/time>\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-meta -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"362\" class=\"category-publichealth series-addicted-oklahoma type-post\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2012\/03\/18\/public-programs-battle-funding-gaps\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Public Programs Battle Funding Gaps<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Substance-abuse programs in Oklahoma struggle to keep up with huge demand for services<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2012-03-18T08:57:44-05:00\">March 18, 2012<\/time><time class=\"updated\" datetime=\"2019-10-28T09:32:07-05:00\">October 28, 2019<\/time>\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-meta -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rural Oklahoma&#8217;s homeless population is vastly undercounted due to challenges with the federal Point-In-Time census. Advocates say the count, designed for urban areas, fails to capture homelessness spread across thousands of rural square miles, affecting funding and community awareness even as demand for housing assistance grows.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":232,"featured_media":753556,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"gigafact_has_fact_brief":false,"gigafact_remote_fact_brief_post_id":0,"gigafact_remote_sync_timestamp":"","gigafact_remote_sync_status":"","gigafact_remote_sync_response":"","gigafact_has_been_published":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"everlit_article_id":"artl_6PEgDSmLDdK","everlit_hide_embed":false,"everlit_embed_size":"","everlit_generation_settings":{"primary_voice":"294","guest_voice":"48","default_sonic_optimization":false,"default_conversation_mode":false,"default_read_alt_text":false,"default_read_urls":false,"default_read_author_byline":false,"default_publication":"pblc_lV8RK9ULW4x","language":"en-US","intro_mixable":3,"outro_mixable":3,"intro_duration":15,"outro_duration":15,"intro_padding":3,"outro_padding":4,"default_skip_article_image":false,"skip_auto_generation":false,"disable_music":false,"disclaimer":"","disclaimer_voice":"","is_for_subscriber":false,"embed_ui_cover_art":true,"embed_ui_title_intro":"","embed_ui_title_icon":""},"_everlit_article_id":"","_everlit_hide_embed":false,"_everlit_embed_size":"","_everlit_generation_settings":[],"_everlit_content_hash":"","_everlit_metadata_hash":"9588d230ff9aa1ad4e0c905f4d755dc9","_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[20082],"tags":[9569,21467,20322,20320,21468,21465,20617,21466],"series":[],"coauthors":[631],"class_list":["post-753553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-vulnerable-populations","tag-ada","tag-day-center","tag-homeless","tag-hud","tag-pit","tag-point-in-time","tag-rural","tag-sara-frye","entry"],"fact_brief":null,"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Counting the Invisible: Why Rural Homelessness Stays Hidden - Oklahoma Watch<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/12\/08\/counting-the-invisible-why-rural-homelessness-stays-hidden\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Counting the Invisible: Why Rural Homelessness Stays Hidden - Oklahoma Watch\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Rural Oklahoma&#039;s homeless population is vastly undercounted due to challenges with the federal Point-In-Time census. Advocates say the count, designed for urban areas, fails to capture homelessness spread across thousands of rural square miles, affecting funding and community awareness even as demand for housing assistance grows.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/12\/08\/counting-the-invisible-why-rural-homelessness-stays-hidden\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Oklahoma Watch\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/OklahomaWatch\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-08T12:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Canon-EOS-1D-X-Mark-III-5472x3648_000695-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1706&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1706\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ginnie Graham\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@OklahomaWatch\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@OklahomaWatch\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ginnie Graham\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/12\/08\/counting-the-invisible-why-rural-homelessness-stays-hidden\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/12\/08\/counting-the-invisible-why-rural-homelessness-stays-hidden\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Ginnie Graham\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/#\/schema\/person\/480f263d80a3b77b7615ebd8824cafaa\"},\"headline\":\"Counting the Invisible: Why Rural Homelessness Stays Hidden\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-08T12:00:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/12\/08\/counting-the-invisible-why-rural-homelessness-stays-hidden\/\"},\"wordCount\":1552,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/12\/08\/counting-the-invisible-why-rural-homelessness-stays-hidden\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Canon-EOS-1D-X-Mark-III-5472x3648_000695-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1706&ssl=1\",\"keywords\":[\"Ada\",\"Day Center\",\"homeless\",\"HUD\",\"PIT\",\"Point in Time\",\"Rural\",\"Sara Frye\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Vulnerable Populations\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/12\/08\/counting-the-invisible-why-rural-homelessness-stays-hidden\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/12\/08\/counting-the-invisible-why-rural-homelessness-stays-hidden\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/12\/08\/counting-the-invisible-why-rural-homelessness-stays-hidden\/\",\"name\":\"Counting the Invisible: Why Rural Homelessness Stays Hidden - Oklahoma Watch\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/12\/08\/counting-the-invisible-why-rural-homelessness-stays-hidden\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/12\/08\/counting-the-invisible-why-rural-homelessness-stays-hidden\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Canon-EOS-1D-X-Mark-III-5472x3648_000695-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1706&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-08T12:00:00+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/12\/08\/counting-the-invisible-why-rural-homelessness-stays-hidden\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/12\/08\/counting-the-invisible-why-rural-homelessness-stays-hidden\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/12\/08\/counting-the-invisible-why-rural-homelessness-stays-hidden\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Canon-EOS-1D-X-Mark-III-5472x3648_000695-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1706&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Canon-EOS-1D-X-Mark-III-5472x3648_000695-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1706&ssl=1\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1706,\"caption\":\"Sarah Frye, director of Ada Homeless Services, poses inside the agency's soon-to-be-completed day center. 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