Rosanne Haggerty, President and CEO of Community Solutions, breaks down the research and work being done to make homelessness solvable.

The new mindset Rosanne provides is to see homelessness not as the problem but as a symptom of systemic failures in other parts of the industry. Her non-profit Community Solutions has created a program called “Built for Zero” which has already transformed over 90 counties. The program uses research and communication to discern the root causes of homelessness in their communities and find new solutions.

Rosanne highlights how fragmentation has prevented real transformation and how necessary disciplined collaboration and a fresh mindset are to lasting change. One example of a step towards change is shifting our perspective from thinking of “housing after rehabilitation” as “providing housing as a means to solving addiction or unemployment.”

The real estate industry as a whole is brought into focus as Rosanne discusses the ripple effects of this issue 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 at the development level.

Resources

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

Related Episodes

• Robin Hughes | President & CEO of Abode Communities
• Majora Carter | Developer, Consultant, Author
• Jane Graf | President & CEO of Mercy Housing

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