MacArthur Foundation Genius Award Winner and internationally recognized leader in the field of

homelessness, Rosanne Haggerty, President and CEO of Community Solutions, dives deep

into the challenges of the homelessness crisis and talks about how the problem is indeed

“Solvable”.

Rosanne puts the homelessness crisis in context as a symptom of broader systemic failures

rather than as the fault of individuals experiencing homelessness. Her non-profit Community

Solutions has created a program called “Built for Zero” which has worked in over 100 cities and

counties across the county to implement its systematic approach, by harnessing data and

collaboration, to bring homelessness to “functional zero”. The goal is to ensure that

homelessness is a rare and brief experience, and never an enduring way of life.

Rosanne provides insights into how fragmentation among government and services

organizations has prevented real transformation and how necessary disciplined collaboration

and a fresh mindset are to lasting change. She talks about the role of the real estate industry in

a discussion of the ripple effects on property values and our downtowns and the responsibility

each community has to find solutions. Her team is using the  MacArthur Grant for $100M to

support those communities in their network and encourages listeners to start being proactive

through their businesses and within their communities.

Resources

• “Homelessness is Solvable” – Rosanne’s podcast interview with Malcolm Gladwell (June 2019)
• Rosanne Haggerty | LinkedIn
• Community Solutions | Home