Overview
The Gulf Coast region of Mississippi was the first community to reach functional zero for veteran homelessness. The community shows it is possible to not only end veteran homelessness, but to protect zero.
The Gulf Coast region of Mississippi has shown it is possible to create a future where veteran homelessness does not have to be inevitable or inescapable, and never a way of life. Their improvements coalesced to increase the speed of housing local veterans who had experienced homelessness: at one point, they had reduced the time it took from identifying a new veteran to placing him or her in housing to just 14 days.
Mary Simons, Executive Director/CEO of Open Doors Homeless Coalition, and Jodie Picciano Swanson, homeless program manager for the Gulf Coast Veterans Healthcare System
Key Milestones
January 2015
Joined Built for Zero
Gulf Coast Region joined Built for Zero, a national movement committed to measurably ending homelessness.
February 2016
Achieved quality by-name data (Veterans)
Gulf Coast Region built a comprehensive real-time, by-name list of all veterans experiencing homelessness in the community.
January 2018
Achieved quality by-name data (Chronic Adults)
Gulf Coast Region built a comprehensive real-time, by-name list of all single adults experiencing chronic homelessness in the community.
June 2018
Achieved quality by-name data (Youth)
Gulf Coast Region built a comprehensive real-time, by-name list of all youth experiencing homelessness in the community.
Homelessness is solvable.
Communities in the Built for Zero movement are proving it.
