Dana Evans, built for 0 coordinator at Family Support Center, told the Thurston County Regional Housing Council on Dec. 10 that the local Built for 0 initiative has achieved a major milestone in data quality and is focusing next on reducing inflow and increasing housing placements.

"Built for 0 is a national movement of communities, working to measurably end homelessness 1 population at a time," Evans said, outlining the initiative’s data-driven approach and two county "North Star" aims: reduce the county’s active homeless count by 35% and reach functional 0 for veterans by December, and achieve functional 0 for chronically unhoused people by Dec. 31, 2027. Evans said Thurston achieved quality data for both chronic and veteran subpopulations in 2024, meaning local HMIS data meet Community Solutions’ quality standards.

Evans warned that quality data alone does not translate into placements when housing and program capacity are limited. She told the council that in 2025 more than 6,500 unique people accessed homeless-response services in Thurston County but that program exits reported as "positive" (into stable housing) totaled 703, while negative exits numbered 1,344 and unknown exits 1,753. Evans emphasized that HMIS totals outpaced the point-in-time count: PIT recorded 883 people in January 2025 while HMIS showed more than 2,500 active cases that day.

Councillors pressed for clarity about the numbers. Evans said the 6,548 figure is a deduplicated count of unique people appearing in HMIS during 2025 and explained that unknown exits have been a focus: "We have had an intentional push to bring providers into more competency around why reporting those outcomes is ... super important," she said, adding that the coordinated entry office is small and relies on provider reporting.

The presentation also included a policy exchange over the effectiveness of Housing First. A council participant, identified as Nicholas, said he remains skeptical of Housing First’s long-term results and stressed addiction services. Evans responded that long-term successful outcomes typically include a supportive-housing element paired with services and invited further discussion and a data deep-dive.

Evans asked council members to champion evidence-based practices and offered opportunities for members to join Built for 0 improvement teams; she also encouraged attendance at the initiative’s learning sessions, which will be in Seattle in 2026.

The council thanked Evans and signaled interest in continued collaboration and data review. Evans made supporting materials available and offered follow-up meetings for members wanting deeper data briefings.