Wayfair values creating a sense of home for all, even for those who are experiencing homelessness. Since 2021, Wayfair has partnered with Community Solutions to support the Built for Zero movement, a national effort to measurably reduce and end homelessness. Community Solutions was one of the first recipients of Wayfair’s Neighborhood Fund, which launched in 2023.
The Built for Zero movement, which now includes 107 communities across the United States, is committed to ending homelessness by using data-driven solutions and collaboration across sectors. Built for Zero’s approach emphasizes:
- Expanding who is at the table. Instead of operating in silos, everyone working on the homelessness response - government agencies and nonprofits - work together to get to zero homelessness in a community
- Creating a shared commitment for ending homelessness. Communities participating in Built for Zero define success by whether the overall number of people experiencing homelessness is going down, not by whether individual programs are succeeding.
- Knowing the people experiencing homelessness by name. Community Solutions believes you can’t solve a problem you can’t see clearly, and Built for Zero coaches communities to both know and understand real-time and person-specific information on who is experiencing homelessness.
- Using data to guide decisions. Effective Built for Zero communities target their efforts, make investments and adjust policies based on data to make measurable impacts in reducing and ending homelessness.
- Believing homelessness is solvable. Communities working within Built for Zero don’t accept that status quo and are deeply committed to a better and more equitable future for their communities.
In 2023 alone, Built for Zero helped communities house 15,684 people experiencing homelessness, and since 2015, the initiative has helped 171,681 individuals find permanent housing.
In addition to these valuable financial contributions, Wayfair employees have engaged in volunteer efforts, including a volunteer day packing move-in kits for residents at Conway Residence, a transitional housing facility operated by Community Solutions in Washington, D.C, and supporting newly housed residents in Jacksonville and Nashville with Wayfair gift cards so they can make their new units feel more like home.
Impact and Growth of the Partnership
Wayfair’s involvement has also been instrumental in advancing the Built for Zero’s Large Scale Change work, which aims to expand local solutions to the state level. Notably, both Colorado and Maine have seen significant progress:
- Colorado: Introduced a state-level performance dashboard that tracks real-time data on homelessness reduction efforts, improving coordination across the state's homelessness response systems.
- Maine: Established a state-wide team of Service Hubs, which has led to a 49% reduction in homelessness since joining Built for Zero in 2022.
Looking Ahead to 2024
Wayfair’s commitment to ending homelessness has continued into 2024 with a focus on large cities such as Washington D.C., Detroit and Minneapolis. These efforts center around scaling Built for Zero practices in larger metro areas, where homelessness rates are often higher and the paths to solutions more complex. Wayfair’s support will also expand to Community Solutions’ Upstream Solutions work, with initiatives aimed at addressing the root causes of homelessness and preventing it from occurring in the first place.
Wayfair’s support for reducing and ending homelessness also extends north with financial support for the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, who work closely with Community Solutions on data-driven approaches to ending homelessness in Canadian communities.
Why the Partnership Works
The partnership between Wayfair and Community Solutions thrives due to shared values, particularly around supporting racial equity in access to housing and prioritizing a home for all of our neighbors. Both organizations rely on collaboration, data-driven decision-making, and innovative approaches to tackle complex challenges.
Over the past three years, Wayfair has been proud to support Community Solutions’ efforts to not only address homelessness but to eliminate it altogether. With a strong alignment of mission and values, this partnership continues to grow and drive lasting change. Learn more about Wayfair's partnership in our 2023 Corporate Responsibility Report.