Homeless Veterans Housing Program

About the Program

Category: Human Services (Best in Category)

Year: 2022

In July of 2021, Nevada County was recognized by a national initiative known as Built for Zero for making tremendous progress in reducing the number of veterans experiencing homeless, and designated Nevada County as a “last-mile community”, or a community on the cusp of ending veteran homelessness. The community set a goal of reaching functional zero, housing more veterans who become homeless than who remain homeless per month, with local leaders collaborating to achieve this milestone. Successfully achieving this goal will signal that the community has functionally ended veteran homelessness in Nevada County. This recognition was the latest chapter in the “Better Together” strategy. Better Together is a Nevada County initiative that supports innovative and meaningful collaboration with key stakeholders and invites community members to become part of the solution towards ending veteran homelessness in our community. Nevada County’s data demonstrates that the community currently has 13 veterans (from a high of 35 in 2019) who are experiencing homelessness. To date, only 12 communities have been certified nationally for achieving functional zero for veteran homelessness. Functional zero is a milestone that demonstrates that the community has fewer veterans experiencing homelessness than can be routinely housed.