This year’s theme is Call to Action. Come ready to plan for broader action, with us, to reduce unsheltered homelessness in your community and nationally.
Sessions will help you:
- Coordinate housing, health care, and public safety around one shared aim
- Work with public housing authorities, developers, and landlords to open up more units for people in need
- Turn real-time data and housing inventory into more housing placements
- Apply field-tested storytelling and communications tactics to build public and policymaker support
- Make the case for sustained investment to city leaders, funders, and boards using outcomes they can see
- Weigh AI’s promise and its risks before bringing it into your work
What is different this year?
A cross-sector room: Bring the colleagues who need to be in the conversation, and expect to find yourself working alongside local government, housing, health care, business, philanthropy, and lived expertise from communities across the country. We are also reaching out to cross-sector partners directly to help build that bench.
A bigger policy moment: Help shape local, state, and federal policy visions, coalitions, and action agendas that are taking form right now.
What’s tried and true?
- Provocative plenaries — provocative and big picture insights
- Peer-led breakouts and lots of networking
- Opportunities to hear from leaders in our host community on bright spots and obstacles overcome
- Spotlight on the work of our local Seattle partners, the voices and expertise of persons who have experienced homelessness, and the impact of community social enterprises in all facets of the Learning Session
- Celebration, fun, and food
AGENDA At A Glance
Stay tuned for the full agenda!
DAY ZERO: Monday, October 19, 2026
2:00-4:30 p.m.
Mobile Workshops
● Mary’s Place Family Center site visit: Visit an innovative shelter located on the Amazon campus providing homes and services to 200 families exiting homelessness. The visit will spotlight the partnership with Amazon; highlight innovative design; and provide a deep dive into the organization’s impactful support and housing for families. This visit is a 15-minute walk from the hotel.
● Downtown Seattle Association/Midtown Improvement District: DSA/MID is a Business Improvement District currently driving a push to identify and house everyone living unsheltered in Pioneer Square. Come get a look into the inner workings that keep the downtown area clean, safe, animated, and welcoming with a visit to the DSA/MIDs new operations hub and home office just a 5-minute walk from the hotel.
Accessibility support will be provided upon request.
Peer exchange and pre-conference learning
- Inflow and Diversion Best Practice exchange: Spotlight on Shared Housing best practices with Dr. Jamie Taylor of the Shared Housing Institute
- Large-Scale Change: States and Regions tackling infrastructure and policy
- The Back Office Clinic – Beyond Intentions: Improving Administrative Support for People with Lived Experience — bring your policies, leave with fixes!
Evening
Free to explore Seattle!
DAY ONE: Tuesday, October 20, 2026
8:00-8:30 a.m.
Breakfast
8:30-10:15 a.m.
Plenary
| 8:30-8:35 a.m. | Welcome and introductions |
| 8:35-9:00 a.m. | Local Opening |
| 9:00-9:30 a.m. | Celebration and Panel Completing the Mission: What we can learn from 10 years of progress tackling veteran homelessness |
| 9:30-10:00 a.m. | Keynote Katie Wilson, Mayor of Seattle |
10:15-11:40 a.m.
Breakout Sessions
Bright spots and innovation panels
- Performance-based contracting as a driver of outcomes
- Data for results: Spotlight community practices that support driving towards outcomes
- Same Door, Different Outcome: A live simulation of system decisions to show how you engage people shapes outcomes
- Alternative response: Partnerships with law enforcement that work
- Mind the Gaps: A scan and discussion on housing options for people with high acuity
- Workforce development: not optional! Integrating workforce opportunities into your systems and partnerships
- Last mile strategies for completing the mission on veterans homelessness
Stay tuned for other potential sessions to be featured.
12:00-1:15 p.m.
Buffet Lunch
12:30-1:10 p.m.
Plenary
Shout-outs and celebrations: A fun and lively roundup of milestones and proof points from across the country.
1:15-1:30 p.m.
Break
1:30-3:00 p.m.
Workshop Mode
● Youth and Family Homelessness: Designing Interconnected Systems that work to Tackle Homelessness for Youth and Families
● Data and AI: Tools and examples of geodata and AI Data Enrichment. Diagnostic tools and measures for Rare, Brief and Non-Recurring
● Behavior Is Information: Expert-led, practical workshop to gain insights on reading trauma responses and applying skills towards trauma-informed work with people experiencing homelessness.
● Scenarios Analysis and Revenue Diversification Workshop: Presented by Homebase (HUD TA): Review system gaps, existing resources, and partnerships – leave with an action plan to strengthen community funding dedicated to achieving your community’s aims.
● Comms 101: Making the Story Before the Story Makes You: A ‘bootcamp’ to leverage visual storytelling, op eds and social media in all forms to make your community’s progress clear, credible, and impossible to ignore.
● Mapping the Housing Landscape: Hands-on workshop to map out your local housing landscape to support your reductions in unsheltered homelessness.
● Solutions Lab: Broadening interim and permanent opportunities for high-acuity unsheltered households — a charrette to identify design, service, and sustainability criteria and brainstorm financial models for living spaces
● Rapid Resolution: Shifting goals, tactics and culture to make shelter a housing pathway
● Housing Preservation: Lessons learned from Community Solutions Large City Fund: Applications for local strategies to acquire and maximize existing housing units in your community
3:00-3:15 p.m.
Break
3:15-4:00 p.m.
Workshops (above) continued
4:30 p.m.
Networking/Break
7:00 p.m.
Special Event
● MacArthur Foundation presents fellows Lisa Daugaard (2019) and Rosanne Haggerty (2001) in a public event and dialogue on expanding the range of housing options available for those with housing needs not met by current options. The conversation will challenge us to build a broad coalition in driving housing models that are needed to make homelessness rare and brief.
● RECEPTION will follow.
DAY TWO: Wednesday, October 21, 2026
8:00 a.m.
Breakfast
8:30-10:00 a.m.
Plenary
● Built for Zero is Five! What Are We Learning?
Presentation: ORS Impact — Our evaluation partner walks through successes to build on, challenges to tackle, and initiatives to accelerate based on five years of research and evaluation.
● Is Narrative the Next Frontier: What We are Saying, What the Public is Hearing, and Why We Need to Pay Attention
Presentation and discussion: Release of Community Solutions’ public opinion polling and panel discussion on our messaging and messengers
10:00-10:20 a.m.
Break
10:20-11:45 a.m.
Breakout Sessions
Insider tips for effective cross-sector collaboration: hear firsthand what the top-of-mind considerations, challenges, and opportunities are from key stakeholders:
● Government partners at the municipal, county, and state levels
● Business leaders/BIDS
● Housing developers and operators
● Journalists and media practitioners
● Health care/Medicaid plans and providers
● Funders
● Two Hats One Person: breakout for People with Lived Experience on working inside the systems you navigate.
12:00-1:15 p.m.
Lunch
1:15-3:00 p.m.
Call to Action Kickstarts
Two provocative panels will debate whether and how housing and economic development should drive and measures of reductions in unsheltered homelessness. Each panel will be followed by facilitated table discussions on ideas to apply as a network and ideas to apply when people return home.
3:00-3:15 p.m.
Break
3:15-4:30 p.m.
Keynote
Gregg Colburn
Gregg Colburn is an associate professor of real estate at @uwbuiltenvironments, whose work is helping reshape national conversations around housing and homelessness. He is the co-author of the acclaimed book Homelessness is a Housing Problem: How Structural Factors Explain U.S. Patterns, which examines the systemic drivers behind homelessness across the United States.
With fresh data and updated analysis, Gregg will challenge us to think — and act — ambitiously to drive the holistic, outcomes-based housing solutions we need to make homelessness rare and brief.
6:00 p.m.
Buffet Dinner
DAY THREE: Thursday, October 22, 2026
8:00 a.m.
Breakfast
8:30-9:15 a.m.
Plenary
Into the Future – What Is Our New Operating System
Community Solutions Founder and President Rosanne Haggerty will lead a candid, forward-looking conversation with national practitioners on what we need to change in how we work, how we partner, and how we tell our story if we are to accelerate progress on visibly and measurably reducing homelessness.
9:15-10:00 a.m.
Cross-Sectoral Planning
Participants and communities will work at tables or in breakout rooms to answer:
- What headline are you hoping to write by December 2026? And what headline can we hope to hear before the end of 2027?
- What is the first action you can complete?
- Where can we get collectively by the end of 2027?
- How should we stay connected and support each other?
10:15-11:00 a.m.
Final Plenary
Share out
● Rallying Around Our Commitments
● Next Steps and Thank You
11:00 a.m.
Lunch/Departures
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is the address of the conference hotel?
All activities will be at the Sheraton Grand Seattle, 1400 6th Ave, Seattle, WA 98101. Book through our room block to get the best rate when you register!
Why should I stay at the conference hotel instead of somewhere else nearby?
We recommend staying at the conference hotel to ensure your team has an exceptional Learning Session experience!
Your team will have the best possible experience if you reserve a room on-site at the official conference hotel, the Sheraton Grand Seattle. Staying on-site will give your team more time to network, easily join sessions, and soak up knowledge from peers across the Built for Zero Network.
We have reserved a hotel block that locks in the lowest possible price at this hotel. The rooms in the hotel block are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Last year, they sold out very quickly, and Built for Zero is not able to support securing hotel accommodations once this block is full. Reserve your rooms in our exclusive room block now to secure a competitive rate and enjoy the perfect blend of comfort and convenience!
When should I plan on arriving and departing from Seattle?
Programming will begin with pre-conference sessions from 1:00-4:00pm PST on Monday, October 19. All sessions will be at the hotel or a readily accessible distance. These are being finalized based on interest and will likely include Mobile Workshops and Affinity Groups. We recommend teams arrive on Monday to ensure they can fully participate in programming on Tuesday. Learning Session programming will conclude after lunch on Thursday, October 22, and we encourage teams to book travel out of Seattle in the early afternoon.
How do I get to the Learning Session venue hotel from the local airports?
If you are flying into Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, you have three transit options to get to the hotel.
- Take Line 1 on the Link Light Rail from the airport station to the Westlake Station (38 mins), and the hotel is approximately a 5-minute walk from the station.
- Take a shared airport shuttle directly from the airport to the hotel (between 25-45 minutes).
- Take a taxi or a ride-share service like Uber or Lyft ( generally 20-30 minutes depending on traffic).
What if I need to cancel my registration or swap registration?
If you would like to cancel or modify the registrants for your community, please email bfzlearningsession@community.solutions.
How do I register for the Learning Session?
Registration for the Learning Session opens August 4th. Use this link to register.
Is the Learning Session a HUD-approved conference?
Yes! This is a HUD-approved learning session. Grantees can use their CoC, ESG, or YHDP project administrative dollars to attend.
Is there a maximum number of people from my community who can attend?
Each organization can register up to five people with the aim being that each community is represented by multiple partner groups. That keeps any single agency from filling the room while leaving space for as many partners from your community as want to join. We are doing outreach to cross-sector partners but if there is a group from your community you would like to see in attendance – local government, housing, health care, business, or philanthropy – you’re encouraged to invite them.
How do I decide who should attend from my community?
Who on your team and in your community is leading implementation on unsheltered? Who is tracking data and telling the story of results? Who is developing policy agendas and private-public partnerships for long-term success? We recommend bringing a multi-disciplinary team from your organization. And extending the invitation to groups you already work with but would like to coordinate with more actively. Check out the agenda to learn more about the programming to help identify the right representatives from your team and wider community.
Will travel stipends be offered?
Unfortunately, we are unable to offer communities travel stipends this year. As always, the conference is completely free, and all meals listed on the conference agenda will be provided to participants.
I have more questions.
Email bfzlearningsession@community.solutions with any additional questions.
