Homelessness is a complex, life-threatening problem. It can be solved — but only if systems are designed to continually reduce and end it. By every meaningful measure, homelessness is a problem that proves to be more costly to ignore than to solve.

Complex problems like homelessness have been best tackled with System’s Thinking processes which have clear data monitoring and feedback loops. A few homegrown implementations have grown into a movement called Functional Zero which is defining a framework for addressing the homeless crisis in communities across the globe. This talk will be a short overview of the Functional Zero methodologies and a call to action for any interested parties to help vet the building blocks and do the discovery work required to apply it to the homeless issue in Bellingham and Whatcom County.