The Right to Housing Is a Human Right
The United Nations has long advocated for the right to adequate housing as a fundamental human right enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights — not a privilege, not a luxury, and not a political ideology. A roof over one's head is as basic as any other right a free society protects. Norman's vote on Proposition 5 is an expression of exactly that principle.
UN-Habitat — The Global Housing Agency
The UN established UN-Habitat, its dedicated program for sustainable urban development and housing, specifically to address the growing global housing crisis. UN-Habitat is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities, and considers tackling homelessness a precondition for the full realization of human rights. Norman's Housing First model aligns directly with UN-Habitat's evidence-based framework.
The Global Action Plan for Housing
The UN launched its Global Action Plan for Housing to ensure affordable housing for all — a commitment made by member nations recognizing that housing instability undermines every other social and economic goal a community pursues. When people lack stable housing, healthcare costs rise, workforce participation falls, and public safety suffers. The Global Action Plan exists because the data is unambiguous — housing stability is the foundation of everything else.
Sustainable Development Goal 11 — Sustainable Cities
By adopting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Member States agreed to make significant progress towards implementing appropriate social protection systems for all and committed to ensuring access to safe and affordable housing for all. SDG Goal 11 specifically aims to make cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. EHN's stated goal — functional zero homelessness in Norman by 2030 — places Norman in direct alignment with the UN's global 2030 agenda. Norman, Oklahoma on the world stage. It is not as far-fetched as it sounds.
The First-Ever UN Resolution on Homelessness
In 2021, the United Nations General Assembly adopted its first-ever Resolution on homelessness — "Inclusive social development policies and programmes to address homelessness, including in the aftermath of the coronavirus disease 2019." Until that moment, homelessness had been largely absent from international policy discussions for over three decades. In October 2025, the UN Secretary-General released a second report — a milestone review of global progress recognizing homelessness as "both a concrete violation of human rights and an indicator of extreme poverty and social exclusion."
Global Partnerships, Research, and Evidence-Based Policy
The UN has facilitated partnerships between governments, NGOs, and civil society to develop effective homelessness strategies worldwide. Countries have proven that homelessness is preventable and solvable. The conclusion of decades of global research is consistent — Housing First works. Coordinated systems work. Crisis response alone does not. Every dollar spent on permanent supportive housing saves two to three dollars in emergency services, law enforcement, and healthcare.
The IGH Vanguard Cities Program
This is the most powerful UN-connected pathway available to Norman — and EHN has already reached out to make them aware.
The Vanguard Program partners the Institute of Global Homelessness (IGH) with communities around the world to provide support in advancing their strategies, data collection, and program implementation. These Vanguard partnerships further elevate each city's efforts by supporting comprehensive plans to end homelessness, fostering stakeholder coalition-building, and sharing lessons with an international network.
Since 2017, IGH has worked with Vanguard Cities across six continents who have committed to local goals on homelessness and progressed toward those goals while learning from each other about what worked, what didn't, and what can be done to end homelessness going forward.
Vanguard Cities include Greater Manchester, Adelaide, Edmonton, São Paulo, Glasgow, Rijeka, Sydney, Buenos Aires, Lisbon, Tshwane, and Santiago — cities that made a public commitment, built a coordinated system, and used that commitment to attract international resources, technical expertise, and global credibility.
In the United States, Chicago is currently the only IGH Vanguard City. Chicago has a population of 2.7 million. Norman, Oklahoma has 130,000 committed citizens — and the opportunity to become the second American city to earn Vanguard status. EHN has already reached out directly to IGH to make them aware of what Norman is about to do on April 7. What Norman needs to become a Vanguard candidate is exactly what Proposition 5 provides — a permanent facility commitment, a Housing First model, community will demonstrated by a ballot victory, and a coordinated system with measurable goals. The April 7 vote is Step One.
Vanguard Network members attend meetings bridging research to practice, including policy round table discussions, cohort calls, and technical sessions, and are invited to engage in United Nations advocacy campaigns and contribute to IGH events and publications. That means Norman's story — Lonnie's story and others like his — told at the United Nations. That is what a YES vote on April 7 makes possible.
To Mayor S. Tyler Holman
The International Mayors Council on Homelessness recognizes the transformational power that Mayors can make on the issue of homelessness and works to empower and equip mayors to tackle the issue locally and advocate for their work globally. The Council is open to any mayor committed to taking action — whether at the beginning stages or with a proven record.
EHN respectfully and publicly encourages Mayor S. Tyler Holman to join the International Mayors Council on Homelessness. Norman's Mayor joining this council would place Norman on the global stage, open direct access to international funding partnerships and peer city resources, and signal to HUD, foundations, and private philanthropists that Norman is serious. It costs nothing to join. The return is immeasurable.
Mayor Holman — the world is building this movement with or without Norman. EHN is asking you to lead Norman into it.
The Funding — When Voters Say YES
This is where principle becomes practice. The $8 million bond is not the destination. It is the key.
HUD Continuum of Care (CoC) — The Largest Federal Homelessness Grant
Approximately $3.9 billion in competitive CoC funding is available annually from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. HUD's priorities explicitly include using a Housing First approach and demonstrating previous performance in reducing homelessness. A permanent facility with coordinated HMIS data tracking is the baseline requirement. Without Proposition 5, Norman cannot compete. With it, Norman enters the competition with exactly what HUD scores highest. Johnson County, Kansas received over $1 million in CoC funding in FY2024 to support just seven programs. Norman's more comprehensive system could qualify for significantly more.
$3.9 Billion National Pool · Annual CompetitionEmergency Solutions Grants (ESG) — Shelter Operations and Street Outreach
ESG funds street outreach, management of emergency shelters, quick re-housing aid, expansion or improvement of shelter infrastructure, and homelessness prevention services. States, territories, and local governments can all apply. Critically — ESG funds can directly support the Salvation Army's existing operations. This is coordination, not competition. The Salvation Army becomes a funded partner in a coordinated network rather than a standalone organization competing for scarce resources.
$200,000 – Several Million · Per CommunityCommunity Development Block Grants (CDBG)
CDBG funds can be used to build or improve public infrastructure including homeless shelters, offer stable housing, lessen community blight, and provide access to public services. A permanent shelter facility is exactly the infrastructure CDBG was designed to fund. The $8M bond commitment demonstrates to HUD that Norman is serious — which strengthens CDBG applications substantially.
Flexible · Infrastructure + ServicesYouth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP)
HUD announced approximately $193 million in YHDP funding as part of its FY2024 CoC announcement. Communities with a permanent facility and coordinated intake system are competitive applicants. Norman's youth population — including University of Oklahoma students in crisis — would be directly served.
$193 Million National Pool · Youth FocusHUD-VASH — Veteran Homelessness
The HUD-VASH program combines HUD Housing Choice Voucher rental assistance for homeless veterans with case management and clinical services from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Norman has a significant veteran population. A coordinated shelter system with proper HMIS tracking is the qualifying infrastructure requirement.
Rental Assistance + Case Management · VeteransUN-Habitat Urban Innovation Fund and Technical Assistance
UN-Habitat provides direct grants and technical assistance to cities demonstrating a coordinated housing strategy, community engagement, and measurable goals. IGH Vanguard status — the program EHN has already reached out to — unlocks this pathway directly. Being spotlighted in the UN Secretary-General's annual report, as Vanguard Cities regularly are, attracts private foundation attention that no grant application can replicate.
$50,000 – Several Million · Pilot ProgramsOHCHR Voluntary Trust Fund — UN Human Rights Grants
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights administers annual grants for civil society organizations working on human rights including housing. EHN as an Oklahoma nonprofit can apply directly — independent of the City — beginning January 15 of each year.
$15,000 – $35,000 · Annual · Direct to NonprofitsWhy the $8M Bond May Never Be Fully Executed — And Why That Is the Point
Every grant above requires the same foundation: a permanent facility commitment, a Housing First model, coordinated intake, and HMIS-compliant data tracking. The EHN plan provides all four from Day One.
The sequence is straightforward. Norman voters say YES on April 7. The bond commitment is established — community will is demonstrated. Federal and foundation dollars begin flowing. Operating costs are covered through CoC, ESG, and CDBG grants on an ongoing basis. The Salvation Army is strengthened, not displaced. Downtown vagrancy decreases — not through enforcement, but because there is finally a real pathway off the street. Cities that have done this have seen dramatic reductions in visible street homelessness within 18 to 24 months of system launch.
The question is not whether Norman can afford to do this. The question is whether Norman can afford not to.