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</form>Text Content
* The Challenge
* Built For Zero
* The Movement
* The Methodology
* Functional Zero
* By-Name Data
* Housing
* News
* About Us
* Our Mission
* Our Story
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* Partners
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* The Movement
* The Methodology
* Functional Zero
* By-Name Data
* Our Mission
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* Partners
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* Take action
* Donate
FUNCTIONAL ZERO
A definition for ending homelessness for a population
BUILT FOR ZERO USES FUNCTIONAL ZERO TO MEASURE WHETHER A COMMUNITY HAS
MEASURABLY SOLVED HOMELESSNESS FOR A POPULATION.
WHAT IS FUNCTIONAL ZERO?
Functional zero is a milestone, which must be sustained, that indicates a
community has measurably solved homelessness for a population. When it’s
achieved, homelessness is rare and brief for that population.
Communities in Built for Zero are confirmed for achieving functional zero using
their quality, by-name data, which is updated at least monthly.
Video: What Is functional zero?
WHAT DOES FUNCTIONAL ZERO MEAN?
1. HOMELESSNESS IS RARE AND BRIEF.
Every community has a functional zero threshold — the average number of people
exiting homelessness in a month. When a community achieves functional zero for a
population, it is keeping the number of people experiencing homelessness below
this threshold. This means that the number of people experiencing homelessness
at any time does not exceed the community’s proven record of housing at least
that many people in a month.
This requires systems that are preventing homelessness, quickly detecting
homelessness when it occurs, and permanently and promptly resolving those
incidents of homelessness.
2. CITIES AND COUNTIES ARE OPERATING OFF OF A FULL ACCOUNTING OF HOMELESSNESS AT
ALL TIMES.
They do this by maintaining quality, real-time, comprehensive data on who is
experiencing it.
3. THE COMMUNITY IS WORKING TOWARD EQUITABLE SYSTEMS, STARTING WITH A FOCUS ON
RACE AND ETHNICITY.
Any system that is not designed to identify and respond to disparities risks
perpetuating them. Read more about the indicators communities track.
4. FINALLY, ALL OF THESE ACHIEVEMENTS ARE SUSTAINED OVER TIME, EVEN AS LOCAL
CONDITIONS CHANGE.
Communities reach functional zero once, and they must keep sustaining it. The
numbers of people at risk of or experiencing homelessness may rise, due to any
number of external factors. Functional zero tracks whether systems can
continuously drive those numbers down.
HOW IS FUNCTIONAL ZERO MEASURED FOR CHRONIC, VETERAN, AND YOUTH HOMELESSNESS?
Communities in Built for Zero focus on achieving functional zero for one
population, as a step on the way toward solving homelessness for all
populations. A study by the Urban Institute found that this focused approach can
accelerate a community’s progress on subsequent populations.
FUNCTIONAL ZERO FOR VETERAN HOMELESSNESS
Functional zero for veteran homelessness means that fewer veterans are
experiencing homelessness than can be routinely housed in a month, with a
minimum threshold of 3 veterans.
FUNCTIONAL ZERO FOR CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS
The definition for ending chronic homelessness accounts for the long-lasting
nature of chronic homelessness, which can be more readily anticipated and
prevented. As a result, functional zero for chronic homelessness means there are
fewer than 3 people experiencing chronic homelessness at any given time (or .1%
of the total number of individuals reported in the most recent point-in-time
count, whichever is greater).
FUNCTIONAL ZERO FOR YOUTH HOMELESSNESS
Functional zero for youth homelessness means that fewer youth are experiencing
homelessness than can be routinely housed in a month, with a minimum threshold
of 3 people. Youth who are living in transitional housing are not included in
this definition, but communities will continue to monitor transitional housing
to ensure it is serving as a pathway to permanent housing for youth.
HOW DOES BUILT FOR ZERO CONFIRM COMMUNITIES ARE AT, AND SUSTAINING, FUNCTIONAL
ZERO?
Built for Zero confirms whether communities are at functional zero in three
steps:
1. Making sure the community has shared at least six months of complete,
quality, reliable data with Built for Zero
2. Verifying that the community’s data reflects that they meet the functional
zero definition
3. Working with the community team to account for any flags in the community’s
data
All communities at functional zero will be reviewed to ensure they are
sustaining this dynamic end state for ending homelessness.
Bakersfield/Kern County, California, reached functional zero for chronic
homelessness in January 2020, and they have continued to sustain it. Learn more
about how communities track and visualize this data.
Built for Zero Communities Sustaining Functional Zero
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOW IS FUNCTIONAL ZERO MEASURED FOR OTHER POPULATIONS?
The first functional zero definitions that emerged focused on veterans and
people experiencing chronic homelessness.
In 2020, communities that had already achieved functional zero for those
populations began to request guidance on a definition for ending homelessness
for all populations. At that time, no definition like this existed within Built
for Zero or outside of it.
In 2022, Built for Zero announced a new functional zero definition intended to
measure what it would take to end homelessness across all populations.
Functional zero for all
The definition that emerged was focused on ensuring homelessness within a
community met four criteria:
1. Rare
The community has ensured that homelessness among youth, families, single
adults, veterans, and people experiencing chronic homelessness are all sustained
below their functional zero threshold, which means that the actively homeless
number is fewer than the six-month average of positive exits.
2. Brief
The average length of time from identification to move-in is 45 days or less.
3. Nonrecurring
Of all exits to permanent housing, no more than 5% of positive exits result in a
return to the homeless system within two years of exit from the homeless system.
4. Equitable
The community has demonstrated commitment and is making progress on racial
equity indicators.
All of these criteria are measured based on a community’s quality data, which is
vetted as reliable, real-time, and comprehensive. This means, for example, that
the community’s data includes person-specific data on every single person
experiencing homelessness, covers the system’s entire geography, and is updated
at least monthly.
Learn more
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHY DO WE NEED A DEFINITION FOR SOLVING HOMELESSNESS?
We use functional zero because communities need a definition for solving
homelessness that is clear, measurable, and can be tracked over time. We cannot
compromise on the rigor of a definition for ending homelessness, because lives,
communities, and the equity of our society is at stake.
LEARN MORE
Solving homelessness across an entire community is complex. It is virtually
impossible if everyone is not clear on the end state they are trying to achieve,
and able to objectively measure if they are moving closer to it. Despite this
fact, policymakers and practitioners often define an end to homelessness
differently, or don’t have a shared definition at all.
Communities need a definition that creates accountability for the reality we
want: fewer people experiencing homelessness, equitable outcomes, and for
homelessness to be continuously rare and brief. This requires a standard that
recognizes that ending homelessness isn’t crossing a finish line, but sustaining
a new reality, even as new people experience housing instability.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DOES FUNCTIONAL ZERO MEAN ZERO HOMELESSNESS?
Nope. Functional zero does not mean nobody is experiencing homelessness, or that
no one will experience homelessness. It does mean that a community has driven
that number down toward zero, and is keeping it below the community’s capacity
to ensure positive exits from homelessness.
Imagine if the homeless system operated like a well-functioning hospital. That
hospital will not necessarily prevent people from ever becoming sick. But it
will ensure people are triaged appropriately, promptly receive the services they
need, and address the illness, preventing further harm.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOW IS FUNCTIONAL ZERO DIFFERENT FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S BENCHMARKS AND
CRITERIA FOR ENDING HOMELESSNESS?
The federal government and Built for Zero use the same definition for confirming
that communities have ended chronic homelessness. The two entities differ on
their definitions of ending veteran homelessness.
The Federal Criteria and Benchmarks for Achieving the Goal of Ending Veteran
Homelessness and the functional zero standard for veteran homelessness represent
different approaches to measurement, but they are not exclusive.
We believe that achieving the Federal Criteria and Benchmarks and/or Mayor’s
Challenge criteria for ending veteran homelessness is an important milestone on
the path to reaching functional zero, and a major accomplishment for a
community.
The Federal Criteria and Benchmarks are complex and affirm whether a community
has met valuable outcomes and system behaviors at the time that it was
certified.
Built for Zero’s definition of success, known as functional zero, lays out a
standard that allows a community to measure objectively and in real time whether
it has ended veteran homelessness and also whether it is sustaining this outcome
over time.
To achieve functional zero, a community must have fewer veterans experiencing
homelessness than routinely exit homelessness. This measures whether communities
have built systems that can achieve and sustain functional zero, even if new
veterans experience housing crises over time.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHAT COMMUNITIES HAVE REACHED FUNCTIONAL ZERO?
14 COMMUNITIES HAVE ACHIEVED FUNCTIONAL ZERO FOR AT LEAST ONE POPULATION
12 COMMUNITIES HAVE SOLVED VETERAN HOMELESSNESS
1. Gulf Coast region, MS
2. Arlington County, VA
3. Montgomery County, MD
4. Rockford, Winnebago & Boone Counties, IL
5. Bergen County, NJ
6. Abilene, TX
7. Lake County, IL
8. Norman, Cleveland County, OK
9. Chattanooga, TN
10. Lynchburg Region, VA
11. Crater Region, VA
12. Fremont County, CO
5 COMMUNITIES HAVE SOLVED CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS
1. Rockford, Winnebago & Boone Counties, IL
2. Lancaster City & County, PA
3. Bergen County, NJ
4. Abilene, TX
5. Bakersfield, Kern County, CA
3 COMMUNITIES SOLVED ENDED BOTH
1. Rockford, Winnebago & Boone Counties, IL
2. Bergen County, NJ
3. Abilene, TX
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ABILENE, TX
VETERAN (NOV. 2018) AND CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS (JAN. 2020)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BERGEN COUNTY, NJ
VETERAN (AUG. 2016) AND CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS (APRIL 2017)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FREMONT COUNTY, CO
VETERAN HOMELESSNESS (FEB. 2021)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GULF COAST REGION, MS
VETERAN HOMELESSNESS (SEP. 2015)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NORMAN, CLEVELAND COUNTY, OK
VETERAN HOMELESSNESS (JAN. 2017)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARLINGTON COUNTY, VA
VETERAN HOMELESSNESS (DEC. 2015)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CRATER REGION, VA
VETERAN HOMELESSNESS (FEB. 2021)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LANCASTER CITY & COUNTY, PA
CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS (MARCH 2017)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LAKE COUNTY, IL
VETERAN HOMELESSNESS (DEC. 2018)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ROCKFORD, WINNEBAGO & BOONE COUNTIES, IL
VETERAN (DEC. 2015) AND CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS (JAN. 2017)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BAKERSFIELD, KERN COUNTY, CA
CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS (MARCH 2020)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHATTANOOGA, TN
VETERAN HOMELESSNESS (OCT. 2019)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD
VETERAN HOMELESSNESS (DEC. 2015)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LYNCHBURG REGION, VA
VETERAN HOMELESSNESS (FEB. 2020)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
QUESTIONS?
Reach out to comms@community.solutions.
YOU CAN HELP MORE COMMUNITIES REACH FUNCTIONAL ZERO.
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