Helping the Homeless | Scaling Interim Housing

Scaling Interim Housing

Expanding a Proven Approach

DignityMoves is demonstrating that street homelessness can be solved with interim housing solutions. And we’re helping others do the same.

Our Model

Our interim supportive housing model is designed to be fast, scalable, and cost-effective. Whether you’re in a large metro area or a small city, the formula remains the same: private rooms, wraparound services, and public-private partnerships.

We work with cities and partners to customize solutions to meet the unique local needs and deliver interim housing with speed and flexibility.

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Working Together Towards Functional Zero Unsheltered

While housing first homelessness policy rightly prioritizes permanent housing, we simply can’t build fast enough. The status quo is not working. People are left languishing on the streets while long-term solutions remain years away. The streets can’t be the waiting room. We need housing now.

Functional Zero Unsheltered offers a better path forward: a clear, achievable benchmark that ensures every person has access to safe, dignified interim housing while they work toward long-term stability.

This is a bold but achievable goal, ensuring cities have enough interim housing or shelter beds so that no one is forced to sleep outside. It’s not about eliminating homelessness entirely, but about having the capacity to respond in real-time with safe, dignified alternatives.

Why Functional Zero Works

Prevents chronic homelessness before it starts

Cuts the high cost of emergency healthcare services

Provides sufficient dignified housing to meet the need

Makes public policy enforceable and compassionate

Functional Zero in Practice

San Jose

San Jose is proving that functional zero is achievable when the city, community and philanthropy align behind a shared strategy. Through innovative public-private partnerships, San Jose is creating dignified interim housing that brings unsheltered neighbors indoors and on the path to permanent homes.

Santa Barbara County

Santa Barbara County has committed to a coordinated plan to reach functional zero unsheltered homelessness. With multiple communities already open, the county is demonstrating how scaling interim supportive housing across jurisdictions can turn the tide on street homelessness.

National Expansion

We are expanding beyond California, building on the incredible momentum we’ve created around our model in cities and regions across the country. When a community leader outside of California is interested in building a DignityMoves community in their region, our National Expansion Team (“NET”) works closely with them through every step of the process. We advise them on how to identify a viable parcel of land, coach them on how to approach elected officials and city departments, participate in Zoom discussions, and educate the partners on the importance of interim supportive housing models. Fundraising will be the responsibility of the local champion, but we help identify regional foundations and corporate donors through our growing network of funders.

The NET team works with Gensler and other consultants to create site plans, draft budgets, and identify local contractors. A local project manager oversees the project construction under the direction of the NET team. Using the templates and tools already developed by DignityMoves for other projects, we advise on community engagement, share strategies for avoiding local resistance, and help identify government grant funding opportunities. We provide both open-source tools and a “human instruction manual” to empower local communities to replicate our model, while also maintaining brand and quality control.

Get in touch! Our team member, Domanic Green, will contact you soon to explore how we can bring this model to your community.

DignityMoves Playbook: Your Guide to Building Interim Housing

We created the DignityMoves Playbook to share what we’ve learned and accelerate what’s possible.

The Playbook is a field-tested, open-source resource designed to help communities everywhere replicate our interim supportive housing model. We believe that solving street homelessness requires urgency, collaboration, and transparency—which is why we’re sharing our entire approach.

Inside, you’ll find:

Step-by-step guidance for launching interim housing
Lessons learned from real-world communities
Tools for site selection, permitting, construction and more
Strategies for funding, operations, and community engagement

View Playbook

Be Part of the Solution

At DignityMoves, we help communities design and launch Functional Zero strategies that work. Through technical assistance and capital acceleration, we support local leaders in setting targets, closing bed gaps, and restoring hope.

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