Rapid exit strategies are targeted, short-term interventions designed to help people who’re on the brink of experiencing chronic homelessness. The city expects to have 1,300 people exit homelessness by the end of the year.
Author Archives: Ismael Lele
Ismael Lele is the business reporter at The Oklahoma Eagle. He is a Report for America corps member. Ismael has been reporting since he was in high school, where he channeled his interest for writing into the school newspaper. While at the University of Oklahoma, he wrote for the OU Daily as a sports and city reporter and, finally, as a news editor. Ismael found his passion for community journalism while attending city council meetings in Norman. He went on to spend a summer in Phoenix, Arizona as a Carnegie Knight News 21 fellow and researched the state of American democracy. Before joining The Oklahoma Eagle, he interned at The Tulsa World. Now, his reporting highlights Tulsa’s Black community and the north Tulsa area.
Posted inCulture
This Tulsan creates space for fathers to be ‘courageous’ — and find community
Founded in 2020, Birthright Living Legacy hosts meetups for dads to discuss how to build relationships with their children and navigate the pressures of masculinity.
Posted inGovernment
Oklahoma’s minimum wage will stay at $7.25 as voters reject increase
Oklahomans rejected a proposal to gradually increase the minimum wage over the next three years, from $7.25 in 2025 to $15 in 2029.
Posted inBusiness
New development to bring live music, apartments and Wildflower Café to downtown Tulsa
Once it fully opens in 2027, MODE Tulsa will feature affordable housing alongside a speakeasy lounge, restaurant and production equipment for regional artists.
Posted inGovernment
Report finds Tulsa is closing the gap on several key disparities. But many remain.
Tulsa earned its highest-ever score on its 2025 equality indicator report, which measures disparities between advantaged and disadvantaged groups.
Posted inGovernment
Tulsa County DA’s race presents voters with a choice: experience or change
Colleen McCarty is the lone challenger to incumbent Steve Kunzweiler in the June 16 Republican primary. With no other challengers, the winner will be the county’s next DA.
Posted inGovernment
Tulsa’s neighborhood improvement program showed promising results. Now the city is making it permanent.
Three neighborhoods across the city saw investments from the initial pilot program. Applications are open for the next round.
Posted inYour Money
Oklahomans will decide whether to raise minimum wage to $15. Tulsans have thoughts.
If passed June 16, State Question 832 would raise the state’s minimum wage from $7.25 to $15. Tulsans making less than the proposed wage say it would make a big difference.
Posted inBusiness
After 5 years, Build in Tulsa says nearly $20M investment in entrepreneurs is paying off
The nonprofit has supported more than 700 entrepreneurs and deployed nearly $20 million in capital — primarily to founders who have minimal access to funding.
Posted inNews
Greenwood Rising marks 5 years of teaching Black Wall Street’s history
Greenwood Rising opened in 2021, as the city marked 100 years since the Tulsa Race Massacre. It teaches the history of the district from its establishment and destruction to rebuilding.
Posted inCulture
‘They’re not going to sell to you.’ Why Black women have struggled to own the natural hair industry
Black women have dominated as buyers in the industry, but not on the supplier side. The only Black-owned beauty supply store in Tulsa hasn’t let that stop them.
Posted inBusiness
Black Wall Street Rally attracted thousands, but the economic benefit was uneven
The festival has attracted about 20,000 riders and fans every year since it began in 2022. Rally organizers said it’s helped bring in $2.1 million in economic impact.