Did you see this?

Hi Friend,

You may have seen the latest national report on homelessness. This once-a-year estimate, conducted in January, provides a snapshot of homelessness in America. This year, the overall number of those experiencing homelessness increased. But this snapshot doesn’t tell the whole story.??

Built for Zero communities of all sizes and types are making progress on homelessness. They have adopted a data-driven, by-name approach to making homelessness rare overall and brief when it occurs. They are proving every day that homelessness can be solved.?

Even with a national increase in veteran homelessness this year, nearly half of Built for Zero communities saw a reduction. Detroit reduced veteran homelessness by 12%, and the state of Maine saw a 49% decrease.

What are these communities doing differently??

It starts with five fundamental practices.

?? Expanding who is at the table. Instead of operating in silos, everyone who touches the problem — government agencies and nonprofits — works together to get to zero homelessness.

?? Creating a shared commitment for ending homelessness. They define success by whether the overall number of people experiencing homelessness is going down, not by whether individual programs are succeeding.

?? Knowing the people experiencing homelessness by name. Since you can’t solve a problem you can’t see clearly, they guide their work with real-time, person-specific information on who is experiencing homelessness.

?? Using data to guide decisions. They target their efforts, make investments, and adjust policies based on data to make measurable impact in reducing homelessness.

?? And perhaps, most importantly, believing homelessness is solvable. They don’t accept the status quo and are committed to a better future for their community.

Your contribution helps those who are proving homelessness is solvable and builds strong communities.

Support real change by donating today.