According to the 2022 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report, Oklahoma experienced a 29% increase in unaccompanied youth from 2020 to 2022 – one of the largest increases in the nation. This a problem that is particularly difficult to remediate and even assess in rural parts of the state.
Based on a homeless resource map created by University of Oklahoma researchers, 22 rural Oklahoma counties lack any homeless shelter or resource center, and many others only have one or two, miles from other corners of the county.
In this week’s Long Story Short, Oklahoma Watch’s Yazmeen Saadi discusses rural Oklahoma’s homeless youth.
