Rosanne Haggerty, the president of Community Solutions, was interviewed by Malcolm Gladwell for his new podcast called Solvable, which explores solutions to some of the world’s more daunting problems. In the 30-minute conversation, they discussed how more than 70 communities across the country are proving that homelessness is not only solvable, but being solved.
What would it take to end homelessness — to make it an experience that rarely happens, and when it does, is quickly resolved with the right help so that it doesn’t happen again? Built for Zero communities like Abilene, Texas have made a commitment to ensuring that homelessness is a brief experience when it occurs for any veteran in their city — and never a sustained or defining part of someone’s life.
What if we tracked homelessness like we do the flu or unemployment? The latest episode of NPR’s “Planet Money” podcast explores how 69 Built for Zero communities across the country are pioneering the use of real-time, individual-level data to change how they tackle homelessness — and the breakthrough results they have been able to achieve.
Homelessness is a complex problem. We know that to solve it, communities need real-time, person-specific data and a flexible ways of problem solving designed to tackle evolving problems. But in our recent Built for Zero Learning Sessions communities told us that they need even more of something else to get across the finish line: each other.
We’re blown away by what this movement has become. Two years ago, 87 people showed up in Los Angeles, committed to learning with us and from one another in order to end homelessness. Last week, more than 400 people from 60+ communities and our partners gathered in Atlanta for two days of problem solving, planning, and celebrating each other's work.
Community Solutions will be participating in a panel and numerous events at SXSW. President and Chief Executive Officer Rosanne Haggerty will discuss the work of Built for Zero, the nationwide movement of more than 70 communities working to end homelessness — 10 of which have already ended chronic and/or veteran homelessness.
