Mental Health Association Oklahoma

09/10/2025

Shelterwell has reached a milestone! 🏡

Since becoming part of MHAOK, our team has completed 150 mediations in and out of Oklahoma County eviction court, achieving an 81% agreement rate.

Every agreement represents landlords and tenants finding solutions that keep more neighbors safely and stably housed.

We are deeply grateful to Inasmuch Foundation and the E.L. and Thelma Ga***rd Foundation for making this important work possible.

Learn more about Shelterwell and how mediation makes a difference: https://bit.ly/3UB1YZw

09/09/2025

Last week, Governor Stitt announced Operation SAFE, a plan to clear homeless encampments in Tulsa using Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers. Under the plan, people living in these encampments would be taken to jail or dropped at service providers already stretched beyond capacity.

Operation SAFE ignores proven solutions like Housing First and comes just days after $40 million in state budget cuts to mental health and substance use providers. Rather than addressing root causes, this initiative adds trauma, shifts costs to local providers and makes it harder for families to find stability.

In our latest blog post, we break down what Operation SAFE really means, how it harms Tulsa and why Oklahoma needs long-term housing and support instead of mass encampment sweeps. ➡️ https://bit.ly/3JRmwe9

09/08/2025

Clearing encampments with force doesn’t solve homelessness. It pushes people deeper into crisis. Homelessness is complex and requires compassionate, long-term solutions.

Our Street Outreach Team is trained to meet people where they are, offering care, connection and a path forward—without punishment.

09/08/2025

The Zarrow Mental Health Symposium is just one month away! But why should you attend? 🤔

Because it’s more than just a conference. It’s a statewide conversation about mental health and wellness that brings together professionals, advocates and community members to learn and connect.

For those seeking continuing education, the virtual symposium also offers up to 16.5 CEU hours, including 3 hours of ethics, with certificates provided following the sessions.

Don’t miss your chance to be part of this event! Register at zarrowsymposium.org.

Special thanks to Ascension St. John for helping make the Zarrow Symposium possible!

09/04/2025

As a frontline housing and service provider in Tulsa, we are deeply concerned about Governor Stitt’s new plan to use law enforcement to clear encampments—a move that does nothing to address the root causes of homelessness, but will certainly cause further trauma.

We call on Governor Stitt to redirect efforts toward what actually works: affordable housing, mental health treatment, and supportive services. Our neighbors experiencing homelessness deserve dignity, not displacement.

09/04/2025

What does it look like to care for one another in uncertain times?

On Sept. 26, we invite you to Pathways to Change: A Community Conversation at the Gradient Innovation Hub in downtown Tulsa. For the first time since 2019, we’re bringing our community together in person as part of this year’s Zarrow Mental Health Symposium programming.

This free evening panel will feature leading voices in housing, mental health, advocacy and equity, including:

– Kori Hall, City Care Chief Programs Officer
– Michelle Lara, Founding Executive Director of Padres Unidos de Tulsa
– Amy McGehee, MS, Project Director for Tulsa’s Children’s Mental Health Initiative
– Elana Newman, Ph.D., McFarlin Professor of Psychology at The University of Tulsa
– Mary Ellen Solon, LCSW, Clinical Director for Justice Programs at Family & Children's Services

Seats are free, but space is limited. Click here to register! ⬇️

  Pathways to Change: A Community ConversationLIVE PANEL GRADIENT, DOWNTOWN TULSA | SEPTEMBER 26, 2025      JOIN US IN TULSASince our founding in 1955, Mental Health Association Oklahoma has partnered with Tulsans on their pathways to wellness. As we approach this year’s conference, Oklahomans...

09/02/2025

Through tears, an OKC man recently left a voicemail for our Street Outreach team after learning they had secured housing for him that would allow him to keep his dog. He shared that someone would soon be bringing him food, and how much that simple act of care meant to him.

This kind of impact is made possible through funding by United Way of Central Oklahoma and Tulsa Area United Way. As their annual campaigns begin, we encourage you to support United Way so more people in our communities can find safety, stability, and dignity.

Learn more and donate at unitedway.org.

09/01/2025

September is Su***de Prevention Awareness Month. It is a time to reduce stigma and remind our community that help is always available. Every conversation matters, and every person has a role to play in preventing su***de.

At MHAOK, we offer QPR — Question, Persuade, Refer — a one-hour su***de prevention training teaching participants how to recognize warning signs and connect people with help. QPR is nationally recognized, evidence-based and available for FREE to any interested organization or individual.

Check out our website to request a QPR training: https://mhaok.org/about/su***de-prevention-form/

08/29/2025

It’s never too early to start talking about mental health!

Our free Children’s Mental Health Coloring and Activity Book helps kids explore their thoughts and feelings through coloring pages, journaling prompts and fun activities. It’s a simple way to open up conversations and give children tools to express themselves.

Download the activity book today, available in both English and Spanish: https://bit.ly/4oNGuGE

08/28/2025

Eviction is rarely just about housing. For many people it’s connected to stress, instability or even trauma.

Shelterwell helps prevent eviction before it reaches the courtroom. Landlords and tenants can work with a trained mediator for FREE to resolve issues like unpaid rent, lease violations, repairs or communication breakdowns.

Pre-filing mediation is available at no cost in Oklahoma County, but both parties must agree to take part.

Don’t wait until it’s too late. Request pre-filing mediation today: https://bit.ly/3UB1YZw

08/26/2025

Mental health and housing are deeply connected — and during times of uncertainty, those connections matter more than ever.

Join us September 26 at the Gradient Innovation Hub in Tulsa for a FREE panel featuring Oklahoma experts who work daily at the intersection of mental health and housing. Together, we’ll discuss what it means to support one another through challenges.

This panel is part of the Zarrow Mental Health Symposium and is open to everyone! Sign up for free at zarrowsymposium.org.

08/25/2025

Early bird pricing ends tomorrow!

The 31st Annual Zarrow Mental Health Symposium brings together people from across Oklahoma and beyond to connect, learn and share new ideas in mental health. For more than three decades, this event has been a space for professionals, advocates and community members to come together and strengthen the way we care for one another.

Don’t wait! Register by tomorrow, August 26, to secure early bird pricing at zarrowsymposium.org.