A movement of more than 80 communities in the USA redefining what is possible in ending homelessness.
Location
Rockford, Illinois, USA
Built for Zero
Key Stakeholders
Homeless People
Other Stakeholders
Local NGOs, CSOs, CBOs
Faith Groups
City Authorities
Other Service Providers
State / Federal Actors
Private Sector
Donors
Relevant SDGS
Disruption
City and Sector
Scaleability
International
Summary
Context
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On any given night in the USA, an estimated 500,000 people are experiencing homelessness.
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The vast majority (up to 70%) of people experiencing homelessness are able to self-resolve this situation with another 15-20% requiring short-term or temporary external support only.
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However, almost one in four of all homeless individuals experience chronic patterns (typically one year or more) due to extreme vulnerability and serious underlying health or disabling conditions. This is on the rise.
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People of colour are over-represented: Black people are five times more likely, and Native Americans four times more likely, to experience homelessness than White people.
Interview
In this interview, Jake Maguire, who co-directs the Built for Zero campaign, tells us the secrets to its successful innovation, impact and scale in bringing homelessness down towards zero in more than 80 cities in the US; and how they are both inspiring, and in turn inspired by, their international partners scaling the approach in other countries around the world.
In the short excerpt below, Jake briefly explains the big idea behind Built for Zero. For the FULL INTERVIEW, please visit Soundcloud or Spotify.
Key Programme Activities
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Community engagement
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Data/technology
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Community infrastructure
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Organisational training/skills building
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Policy/advocacy
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Research
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Improved service delivery
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Stakeholder co-ordination, network-building
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Technical support
Key Outcomes
Since 2015, Built for Zero has:
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Scaled to 80 communities in the USA and, with international partners, to multiple cities in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.
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13 communities which have ended military veteran or chronic homelessness. In January 2017, Rockford became the first community in the USA to end homelessness for both chronic and military veteran populations.
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Almost 60% of communities which have achieved a measurable reduction in homelessness. 99% have achieved quality real-time data on homelessness.
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Housed more than 125,000 people by Built for Zero communities.
- Photo Credits
- – Community Solutions
- Notes
- – 1 Statistics from UN World Urbanization Prospects (2018)
- – 2 Statistics from UN World Urbanization Prospects (2018), estimated average annual growth rate (2020-25)
