The Norman Night Shelter was shut down for four days after an anonymous complaint triggered a state fire marshal inspection, revealing multiple code violations. The closure left more than 50 people without shelter, coming amid encampment sweeps under Operation SAFE and a broader wave of anti-homeless policy in Norman and statewide.

Following the sweep of a homeless encampment in Norman, the city council discussed an ordinance that would allow for camping on residential property as an alternative to unauthorized encampments.

Gov. Kevin Stitt's Operation SAFE encampment sweeps produced sharply different outcomes across three Oklahoma cities. Oklahoma City's collaborative approach, which included housing funding and service provider involvement, drew praise. Norman's unannounced May sweep drew sharp criticism from advocates who said it displaced vulnerable people without resources or dignity.

On Friday morning, Gov. Kevin Stitt directed the Oklahoma Highway Patrol to conduct an encampment sweep in Norman.

Nearly half of all evictions filed in Oklahoma County during the first quarter of this year were dismissed, and, of those dismissed, 18% were dropped before the first court hearing, according to data from the Mental Health Association Oklahoma. This indicates that eviction filings were being used as a form of rent collection, according to the association.

A lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the funding for a new homeless shelter in Norman has been dismissed.

Oklahoma’s Landlord-Tenant Act has seldom changed since its inception, and often favors landlords. Tenant protections have historically been limited under the act, and housing experts argue that with rising costs and increased renters, now is the time to re-evaluate those protections.

Homelessness is expected to get worse in the coming years. Experts said the Trump administration’s move away from Housing First, a celebrated policy that prioritizes shelter before dealing with problems like addiction, will put more than 100,000 people, including families with children, at risk of homelessness.

Funding for a homeless shelter will be one of the issues on the ballot in April’s special election.

The Norman City Council is one step closer to establishing a permanent shelter location.

Oklahoma had more than 45,000 evictions filed in each of the past four years, which critics blame on the weakness of the state’s Landlord-Tenant Act.

Two local nonprofits that serve people experiencing homelessness in Oklahoma received multimillion-dollar grants from the founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, and his wife.