NEW YORK (October 10) — Today, national nonprofit Community Solutions marked World Homeless Day by detailing the tremendous progress that more than 140 U.S. communities have made toward ending homelessness through its Built for Zero initiative.
“Homelessness is one of the most complex challenges facing our country,” said Rosanne Haggerty, president of Community Solutions. “We know that homelessness is solvable. Built for Zero communities across the country prove every day that progress is possible, in rural areas and major urban centers alike.”
Since Built for Zero launched in 2015, communities have achieved several milestones:
- Over 184,000 people were housed in Built for Zero communities.
- 14 communities have reached functional zero, a measurable milestone making homelessness rare, brief and nonrecurring, for at least one population.
- 46 communities reduced homelessness for at least one population.
- 78 communities recorded quality, by-name data on every person experiencing homelessness within a particular population. This data enables them to track whether homelessness is declining or increasing from month to month and make investments that drive reductions.
Built for Zero is a movement and methodology of 142 U.S. cities and counties committed to using data to measurably and equitably end homelessness for entire populations. Communities work to achieve and sustain functional zero, a measurable milestone in which the number of people entering homelessness is fewer than the number of people a community can house in a given month.
In 2021, the MacArthur Foundation awarded a $100 million grant to Community Solutions to expand its Built for Zero initiative.
“On World Homeless Day, we reflect on the hard work and accomplishments our communities have made so far, while acknowledging the work ahead of us,” said Beth Sandor, chief program officer at Community Solutions. “When communities have real-time, human-centered data and shared accountability for reducing homelessness, we can make homelessness rare overall and brief when it happens.”
About Community Solutions
Community Solutions is a nonprofit committed to making homelessness rare and brief. It leads Built for Zero, a network of nearly 150 communities using a data-driven methodology to improve local housing and homelessness response systems and the impact they can achieve. To date, 14 communities have reached functional zero veteran and or chronic homelessness, a milestone for homelessness being rare and brief for a population. Learn more at www.community.solutions or follow us at @CmtySolutions.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Lauren Barnes
lbarnes@community.solutions
