Heroes Hope, VA partnership helping veterans find housing faster

As Tulsa continues to grapple with a growing housing crisis, a local nonprofit is making significant strides in getting veterans off the streets and into stable homes.

Veterans Face Unique Housing Struggles

According to the city’s most recent point-in-time count of people experiencing homelessness, about 7% of Tulsa’s homeless population are veterans. Many of them face steep challenges in securing housing, including bureaucratic delays, limited availability and past evictions. Some are also struggling with PTSD and addiction.

Roy Burns is one of those veterans. After spending time living on the streets, he now sits in a fully furnished apartment thanks to Heroes Hope, a Tulsa nonprofit.

“He found me picking a guitar on the back of a trailer and came and rescued me,” Burns said. “He said, ‘Here’s the deal—we got you a room,’ and I was like, ‘I am so thankful.’”

Heroes Hope Offers a Path Forward

Founded by veteran Sean Lord, Heroes Hope helps former service members transition out of homelessness. Lord said he launched the nonprofit after seeing a growing need among veterans in Tulsa.

Another veteran, Delvin Tucker, found himself couch-surfing after being evicted.

“It is really hard to get a place when you’ve got an eviction on your name,” Tucker said. “I knew it would be hard, but not as hard as the process actually was.”

New VA Partnership Speeds Up Housing Process

A recent partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is helping Heroes Hope provide permanent housing faster than ever.

“Now we can get a call from the VA saying they’ve got a veteran with an approved housing voucher, and I can say, ‘Hey, we’ve got an apartment at this location,’” Lord said. “We’ve cut down that wait time from six months to a year to as little as under two weeks.”

The organization now coordinates inspections, works with landlords, and handles logistics directly, allowing veterans to move in much more quickly.

More Veterans to Be Housed This Summer

Lord says the program is just getting started.

“By the end of summer, we’re going to have about 40 to 50 in our program,” he said.

Veterans like Roy Burns say the support has made all the difference.

“They saved my life,” Burns said.

How to Get Help or Support the Mission

Veterans in need of housing assistance, or community members who want to support the mission of Heroes Hope, can click HERE.

Or reach out to:

Sean Lord

President/CEO

Heroes Hope

775.750.0022

To help a newly housed veteran, you can donate these items: