This year has been radically different from the norm for so many reasons. Most of all, this is the year that’s taught us about relationships and how much they matter in our lives. You might have learned to connect in different ways—with your kids, your family, your neighbors, and even with your coworkers whom you might not have seen in person for a while. This is the year we’ve gained a real appreciation for community.
But while you enjoy the closeness and stability of friends, family, and home, not everyone does—even families right in your town or attending your schools. On any given night, for instance, about 40,000 veterans have no place to call home, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. And another 1.4 million veterans are considered at risk of homelessness because of poverty, a lack of support networks, and poor living conditions.
Yet there’s reason to be hopeful. National initiatives like Built For Zero, supported by partners like Rocket Mortgage®, are effectively stepping up to meet these challenges and end the problem for good. While there’s certainly no easy fix for such a complicated, systemic crisis, the Built For Zero initiative (started by nonprofit Community Solutions) is working to ensure that vets grappling with challenges don’t end up chronically homeless because of it. Thanks to fresh approaches, Rocket Mortgage® has helped more than 20,000 veterans across the country find new housing safely, securely, and sustainably over the last three years, through its partnership with Community Solutions and the Built For Zero initiative. The approach has helped communities from Arlington, VA, to Bergen County, NJ reach “functional zero,” in regard to homelessness.
What’s Functional Zero?
“Functional zero” means a community has solved homelessness for that population—that the number of veterans experiencing homelessness is less than the number of veterans a community has proven it can house in a month. While this doesn’t mean homelessness is completely eradicated in a given area, if someone does slip into homelessness, it’s likely to be brief and nonrecurring.
After all, the causes of veteran homelessness are complicated, ranging from a dearth of affordable housing to a lack of access to healthcare. “When you’re in the military, you deploy, going from base to base every few years,” says Kathryn Monet, Chief Executive Officer of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. “So often, you aren’t able to build up the same level of community that a civilian might have—a solid network of peers, family members, and friends to call on. A veteran may not have that luxury, and that depth of community connection that is so important when you’re on the brink of crisis.”
A Personal Approach to the Problem
The reason Built For Zero’s movement to end homelessness is working when others haven’t? It’s data-driven.
“When we talk about data in the Built For Zero system, we’re talking about people,” says Laura Grannemann, VP, Strategic Investments, Rocket Community Fund. “With accurate data, a community knows by name every local individual experiencing homelessness, and they review those names and their unique circumstances every time they meet. It’s a painstaking process, but that’s why it works.”
It’s exactly why Rocket Mortgage®—the lender known for rethinking how homeownership happens and getting more Americans settled into their homes than any other mortgage company—has been a Built For Zero partner since 2018. “The importance of housing is something that’s very near and dear to our hearts, and we understand the value of a secure and stable home,” Grannemann says. “It’s core to who we are and what we believe.”
As Grannemann puts it, “The realization that an entire system can be improved with a goal that doesn’t just serve a community experiencing homelessness but actually ends it—that is a big deal.”
It sure is. Now more than ever, every family deserves a cozy place to call home and enjoy a stable sense of community within our country—especially those who’ve served it!
Quicken Loans, LLC; NMLS #3030; www.NMLSConsumerAccess.org. Equal Housing Lender. Licensed in 50 states. For additional information please visit RocketMortgage.com.
