Service providers and housing officials in Kansas launched their “Functional Zero” campaign to combat homelessness, with a focus on ensuring more people remain housed than become homeless. At a summit in Topeka, Kansas was declared a “Built for Zero” state, meaning regions will aim to reach “functional zero”—a measure of how effectively a community addresses homelessness. This goal, developed by Community Solutions, helps communities track progress in solving homelessness for specific populations like veterans or the chronically homeless.

Functional zero does not mean eliminating homelessness entirely but reducing its frequency and duration. Kansas teams have been developing six-month action plans and working on improving their data systems to track interventions. The state is divided into five regions, each aiming for the first milestone: certified, quality data. Teams will then work on improvements, such as reducing the time it takes to house individuals after identification. Kansas is part of a select group of states committed to achieving functional zero.

With better data and ongoing collaboration, service providers believe they can make significant progress in addressing homelessness, despite challenges like neighborhood opposition to certain housing initiatives. Wichita/Sedgwick County has already achieved quality data for homeless veterans and aims to reach functional zero by November. Other regions are focused on improving data for specific populations.