Functional zero is a definition used by Built for Zero to measure whether a community has ended — and continues to end — homelessness for a population.
What is functional zero?
Homelessness is a dynamic problem, so the end state for solving it needs to be dynamic, too. Functional zero is a milestone that indicates a community has measurably ended homelessness for a population — and that they are sustaining that end. Reaching and sustaining functional zero is in service of building a future where homelessness is rare overall, and brief when it occurs.
Before a community can start working toward functional zero, they must first gather quality data on everyone is experiencing homelessness. A by-name list is a comprehensive list of every person in a community experiencing homelessness, updated at least monthly. This data is used by communities to better match housing solutions with individuals, understand the population-level dynamics of homelessness in their community (like inflow and outlow), target systems improvements and changes, and track whether all of these efforts are resulting in population-level reductions in homelessness.
VETERAN
A community has achieved functional zero for veteran homelessness when there are fewer veterans experiencing homelessness than can be routinely housed in a month, with a minimum threshold of 3.
> What’s the difference between functional zero and the USICH Federal Criteria and Benchmarks for ending veteran homelessness?
CHRONIC
A community has ended chronic homelessness when the number of people experiencing chronic homelessness is zero, or if not zero, than either 3 or .1% of the total number of individuals reported in the most recent point-in-time count, whichever is greater.
> Chronic homelessness refers to long-lasting or recurring homelessness for a community’s most vulnerable neighbors. It is defined by the federal government as impacting people who live with a documented disability and have experienced verifiable homelessness for at least a year — or repeatedly over three years.
Ending homelessness isn’t just possible —
it’s already happening.
14 communities have achieved functional zero for at least one population
12 communities have ended veteran homelessness
- Gulf Coast region, MS
- Arlington County, VA
- Montgomery County, MD
- Rockford, Winnebago & Boone Counties, IL
- Bergen County, NJ
- Abilene, TX
- Lake County, IL
- Norman, Cleveland County, OK
- Chattanooga, TN
- Lynchburg Region, VA
- Crater Region, VA
- Fremont County, CO
5 communities have ended chronic homelessness
- Rockford, Winnebago & Boone Counties, IL
- Lancaster City & County, PA
- Bergen County, NJ
- Abilene, TX
- Bakersfield, Kern County, CA
3 communities have ended both
Abilene, TX
Ended veteran and chronic homelessness
Chattanooga, TN
Ended veteran homelessness
Lake County, IL
Ended veteran homelessness
Norman, Cleveland County, OK
Ended veteran homelessness
Arlington County, VA
Ended veteran homelessness
Crater Region, VA
Ended veteran homelessness
Lancaster City & County, PA
Ended chronic homelessness
Rockford, Winnebago & Boone Counties, IL
Ended veteran and chronic homelessness
Bakersfield, Kern County, CA
Ended chronic homelessness
Fremont County, CO
Ended veteran homelessness
Lynchburg Region, VA
Ended veteran homelessness
All communities at functional zero will be reviewed annually to ensure they are sustaining this dynamic end state for ending homelessness.
The value of Zero
The Urban Institute studies the impact of reaching functional zero.
