Tulsa leaders celebrated the five-year anniversary of A Better Way today, which provides individuals experiencing homelessness an alternative to panhandling by offering participants a day’s wages to beautify the community while connecting them to essential services.
Inspired by a groundbreaking employment program in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Mayor G.T. Bynum introduced the A Better Way program to Tulsa in March 2018.
“I want to thank the Mental Health Association Oklahoma for their continued partnership and the citizens of Tulsa for funding this life-changing opportunity,” Mayor G.T. Bynum said. “Five years later I think back to the individuals I’ve met, who have gone through the program. Many of these individuals thought the world had given up on them until that van pulled up and offered them hope. I think the Better Way program is just another expression of Tulsans’ desire to help one another.”
Since the program’s inception, A Better Way has provided more than 2,800 individuals experiencing homelessness an alternative to panhandling and 242,000 pounds of trash has been collected from city parks and facilities.
A Better Way has secured full-time competitive employment for 235 individuals. In 2022, the Better Way program began referring individuals to substance abuse and mental health services, to date, 368 individuals have benefitted from these services.
“A Better Way changes lives,” Terri White, CEO, of Mental Health Association Oklahoma, said. “It is a great example of what can happen when public, private, and nonprofit organizations work together. Lives literally change when someone steps on our van to earn a day’s wages for a day’s work and the chance to become permanently employed, housed, and have mental health and addiction needs addressed.”
A Better Way Tulsa is made possible through a collaboration between the City of Tulsa, the Hille Foundation, the Tulsa Authority for Recovery of Energy (TARE), Mental Health Association Oklahoma, and the Maxine and Jack Zarrow Family Foundation.
About a Better Way
Through roving van outreach, A Better Way makes stops citywide in Tulsa areas known for panhandling and homelessness. Three employees help operate the program: a van driver, an employment specialist, and a case manager. In 2018, A Better Way was awarded a Social Innovation Grant through the Tulsa Area United Way to fund the employment specialist position.
During the workday, participants are connected to an array of services in the community, such as shelter, housing, mental health and addiction treatment, and other more sustainable employment services.
At the end of the workday, workers are paid $65 in cash and provided an opportunity to receive program support from the A Better Way staff. A case manager connects participants to customized resources to address specific barriers to employment. The employment specialist works with participants to develop employment opportunities.
The Better Way van is in operation three days a week. Mondays and Fridays are randomized pick-ups throughout the city, with the van starting its journey at 7 a.m. On Wednesdays, participants meet at 8 a.m. under the Better Way sign at the Denver House, 252 W. 17th Pl.
For more information about A Better Way, visit www.abetterwaytulsa.org.
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