Upcoming Event
An Innovative Approach to Unsheltered Homelessness
Unsheltered (“street”) homelessness is one component of the broader challenges surrounding homelessness and housing availability, accessibility, and affordability. However, it remains the most visible. Among the approaches being explored by state and local governments are strategies to expand temporary shelter capacity while supporting the development of permanent housing.
Join California Senator Catherine Blakespear, who represents Senate District 38 spanning northern San Diego County and southern Orange County, and Elizabeth Funk, Founder and CEO of DignityMoves, to learn about the path to functional zero unsheltered—a benchmark indicating that sufficient housing options are available to accommodate a jurisdiction’s unsheltered, chronically homeless population based on its most recent point-in-time count.
Elizabeth Funk was named to Forbes’ 2026 50 Over 50: Impact list, and her organization, DignityMoves, has been recognized through Fast Company magazine’s “World Changing Ideas” two years in a row. She and Senator Blakespear will discuss:
- Innovative approaches to building interim supportive housing, including cabin communities
- Policy and systems-level change
- Using San Jose, California, as a case study, learn about tactical strategies for implementation and resulting outcomes
With several Western states experiencing some of the nation’s highest per-capita rates of homelessness, this discussion offers legislators an opportunity to explore an additional policy level to reduce unsheltered homelessness.
Who should attend: Western state legislators and legislative staff.
Please register to reserve your space and receive programming updates.
We encourage you to submit your questions ahead of time for a more valuable experience!