Rockford, Illinois, Aims to End All Homelessness Citywide by 2021—And It Has a Proven Plan

A common belief is that homelessness is a symptom of society, a pitiable issue too large for communities to fully address beyond soup kitchens and temporary shelters. But at a local level, Rockford, Illinois, is blowing that mindset out of the water. In 2018, Rockford decided to end functional veteran homelessness. So it did. Then, the city realized it could end chronic homelessness for those with disabilities. So the city made it happen. And now, the local government aims to be the first city to end homelessness altogether: Every youth, family, or single person will get assistance, even if they’ve only been homeless for a short time. The city already had resources such as housing vouchers from the federal government, but the secret to Rockford’s success lies in guidance from the nonprofit Community Solutions and its flexible, personalized approach that acknowledges the unique situations that lead to homelessness. 

Less than a decade ago, more than 700 people were homeless in the small, 150,000-person city of Rockford, Illinois, about 90 miles northwest of Chicago. By the end of the year, the city expects that number will have shrunk to essentially zero—making it the first community in the U.S. to end homelessness.

“I think for so long we believed in most communities that homelessness is just something we are going to have to live with,” says Beth Sandor, who co-directs a program called Built to Zero at the nonprofit Community Solutions, which works with cities like Rockford on eliminating homelessness. “Rockford is in the process of transforming that idea and really demonstrating what it looks like to live in a community where homelessness is not normal.”

In 2018, the city became the first in the country to reach a goal of “functional zero” for veteran homelessness, meaning that at any given time, while a veteran may become homeless, it’s rare, and they quickly find housing. It became the second city to reach the same goal for people who are chronically homeless—those who have been homeless for long periods of time and have a diagnosed disability. A handful of other cities have achieved the same thing. Now, Rockford will be the first to end homelessness for all remaining populations—youth, single people who have only been homeless for a short time, and families.

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