Cross-Sector Partnership Bright Spot
Everyone has a role to play in addressing homelessness. Bringing together a broad coalition of partners from across
public and private sectors to implement proven solutions is critical to meeting the needs of those experiencing
homelessness.
Built for Zero is a national initiative that works with more than 80 communities committed to measurably ending
homelessness. It empowers communities to use real-time data to coordinate resources, develop strategic investments,
and create systems that can ensure homelessness is rare overall and brief when it occurs. Built for Zero has assisted 13
communities across the U.S. in ending veteran or chronic homelessness.
Built For Zero: Colorado brings together seven Colorado communities representing 16 counties to meet the needs of
veterans experiencing homelessness and people experiencing chronic homelessness in Colorado. The effort is supported
by Community Solutions, Kaiser Permanente, the Colorado Health Foundation, and the Colorado Department of Local
Affairs’ Division of Housing.
Participating local teams include: Metro Denver (including representatives from Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield,
Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson counties), which joined in 2016, Fremont County, Grand Valley (Mesa), Roaring
Fork Valley (Pitkin/Garfield/Eagle), Northern Colorado (Weld/Larimer), and Pikes Peak (El Paso), which joined in
September 2019. Pueblo joined in September of 2020.
Built For Zero communities work collaboratively across sectors to establish rigorous goals and corresponding
benchmarks intended to drive measurable reductions and reach a sustainable end to homelessness. By starting with
veteran and chronic homelessness, Built For Zero Colorado aims to develop the infrastructure, policies, practices, and
resources needed to create a broader continuum of effective solutions.
Community teams attended an in-person Learning Session in Denver in October 2019. Since joining Built for Zero,
Colorado community teams have created local leadership structures, established tools to track progress, and learned
from other communities across the nation.