Every day, members of our military sacrifice to keep our country strong and safe. Through their efforts, each of us is able to enjoy the privileges and freedoms to pursue our best lives. Yet, when they return home, many don’t get the same opportunity.
Today, nearly 38,000 veterans will experience homelessness. Some also struggle with health issues that are much harder to address without the structure and security of a permanent home. While programs for veterans exist, they are often spread across agencies that are working in isolation from one another— without a coordinated, local effort, it’s possible for people to slip through the cracks in the system.
So, what’s the answer to this urgent national problem? Built for Zero, a national effort designed to help committed U.S. communities end homelessness.
A Proven Model For Ending Homelessness
Led by the nonprofit Community Solutions, Built for Zero gives communities a framework for addressing the problem of homelessness in a way that’s proven to drive reductions. It starts by creating an integrated command center team of agencies within the community all working toward the same goal.
This team then works to harness real-time, person-specific information on who is experiencing homelessness in their community. Next, they use this real-time data to secure the housing resources they need and target them for the greatest possible reductions in homelessness. All along the way, communities are tracking their progress and measuring success so that they can accelerate the spread of the most effective strategies.
With this approach, Built for Zero communities have shown that ending veteran homelessness isn’t only possible, it’s happening. Right now, 85 communities are a part of the Built for Zero movement and 11 communities have ended veteran homelessness or chronic homelessness. Since 2015, these communities have housed more than 113,000 people total, including more than 71,000 veterans, proving the incredible success of the initiative.
The Rocket Mortgage® Commitment
The success of Built for Zero’s innovative approach hasn’t gone unnoticed. As America’s largest mortgage lender,* Rocket Mortgage® built its success on providing innovative solutions to its clients and was interested in supporting partners in the community who shared these values. When the company learned about the incredible success of Built for Zero, it was moved to action and joined the movement as a core corporate sponsor in 2018.
For Rocket Mortgage®, housing America’s heroes is a natural extension of the company’s long legacy of supporting veterans and veteran causes. In addition to supporting Built for Zero, Rocket Mortgage® is proud to be one of America’s top VA lenders, as well as a nationally-recognized veteran employer.
Helping Our “Neighbors”
In addition to providing financial support for the Built for Zero movement, Rocket Mortgage® wanted to take its commitment one step further and start a national conversation around the issue of veteran homelessness. That led to the development of “Neighbors,” a powerful new marketing campaign that seeks to change perceptions about individuals who experience homelessness.
In this campaign, Rocket Mortgage® shares the stories of four veterans who experienced homelessness and were successfully housed through the efforts of their communities. Each veteran’s story is unique and shows how homelessness can be resolved when people get the help they need. To see all of the stories, and to see how Rocket Mortgage® is working to make sure all of our neighbors in the veteran community get the care they deserve, visit AHomeForEveryVet.org.
* Based on Quicken Loans data in comparison to public data records.
Quicken Loans Inc.; NMLS #3030; www.NMLSConsumerAccess.org. Equal Housing Lender. Licensed in 50 states. AL License No. MC 20979, Control No. 100152352. AR, TX: 1050 Woodward Ave., Detroit, MI 48226-1906, (888) 474-0404; AZ: 1 N. Central Ave., Ste. 2000, Phoenix, AZ 85004, Mortgage Banker License #BK-0902939; CA: Licensed by Dept. of Business Oversight, under the CA Residential Mortgage Lending Act and Finance Lenders Law; CO: Regulated by the Division of Real Estate; GA: Residential Mortgage Licensee #11704; IL: Residential Mortgage Licensee #4127 – Dept. of Financial and Professional Regulation; KS: Licensed Mortgage Company MC.0025309; MA: Mortgage Lender License #ML 3030; ME: Supervised Lender License; MN: Not an offer for a rate lock agreement; MS: Licensed by the MS Dept. of Banking and Consumer Finance; NH: Licensed by the NH Banking Dept., #6743MB; NV: License #626; NJ: New Jersey – Quicken Loans Inc., 1050 Woodward Ave., Detroit, MI 48226, (888) 474-0404, Licensed by the N.J. Department of Banking and Insurance.; NY: Licensed Mortgage Banker – NYS Banking Dept.; OH: MB 850076; OR: License #ML-1387; PA: Licensed by the Dept. of Banking – License #21430; RI: Licensed Lender; WA: Consumer Loan Company License CL-3030. Conditions may apply.<div
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