TULSA, OKLA. (KTUL) — More than 10,000 Tulsa residents relying on rental assistance through the Tulsa Housing Authority (THA) are facing uncertain futures as federal funding shortfalls force THA to halt approval of rent increases requested by landlords.
Among those affected is Sylvia Aguilar, a North Tulsa tenant now being forced to leave her home of nearly three years.
Aguilar and her son, River, live at the Gable Hills Apartment Complex, where they recently received notice to vacate by early August. The reason? The property owner requested a rent increase to $1,085, which THA could not accommodate due to a lack of federal funds.
“I don’t know what to do, I don’t know where we’re gonna go. I don’t know where my son is gonna go to school. My job is out here. Our whole life is here,” Aguilar said.
Aguilar said similar notices have appeared on doors throughout the complex, leaving residents in a state of panic.
“We’re not dealing with fairness,” one tenant who wished to remain anonymous said. “They want to renovate these apartments and get more money for them.”
“For them to jump up that high in rent and then say all the Tulsa Housing people need to leave, that’s just brutal,” Aguilar said. “How could you do that knowing that all these people could end up on the streets?”
THA told NewsChannel 8 in a statement:
Tulsa Housing Authority notified Section 8 landlords in May of this year that we can no longer fulfill rent increase requests. This is due to insufficient federal funding, with even more significant cuts predicted for all rental assistance programs. Denying rent increases will allow THA to manage under current funding while not requiring us to remove subsidy from existing tenants. It is at the discretion of the landlord to maintain current rent levels or, in the case of Gable Hills/Edgewood Apartments, to displace existing tenants in search of higher rent amounts.
We reached out to the apartment complex and its regional manager for comment were unsuccessful.
THA says it has received over 200 rent increase requests from Section 8 landlords since May. “We have contacted (and will continue to contact) landlords that have requested rent increases to make them aware of the funding shortfall that prohibits THA from fulfilling those requests. Most of the landlords we have spoken with have been understanding of the situation and we are grateful for every single participant in the Section 8 program that houses Tulsa’s most vulnerable.”
THA also expressed concern for further impacts from additional budget cuts, “Unfortunately, the proposed federal budget for 2026 slashes funding for HUD rental assistance programs by over 40%. If the budget passes in its current form, it will be devastating for thousands of Tulsans that rely on that assistance to remain housed.”
The situation may get worse. If the proposed federal budget for 2026 passes in its current form, it would cut U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development rental assistance programs by over 40%, a move THA warns could be devastating for thousands across Tulsa.
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