Housing Connector and Zillow Reach Major Milestone in Addressing Homelessness
A national public-private partnership leverages technology, property partnerships, and human-centered design to house 10,000 individuals—and scale to thousands more.
SEATTLE, Oct. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In a time when America faces a housing crisis of historic scale, Housing Connector, a tech-powered nonprofit, and Zillow, the most visited real estate app and website in the United States, have achieved a milestone that redefines what's possible when innovation meets urgency in addressing homelessness. Together, they've helped 10,000 people find stable homes, turning technology and partnership into a national force for good.
What began in 2019 as a local solution in Seattle has become a national model for unlocking private-market housing to barriered populations. Through the Housing Connector platform and powered by Zillow technology, community-based organizations can easily connect individuals and families in need to housing providers' vacant units that have adjusted screening criteria, bridging a critical gap between housing availability, access, and human need.
"Behind every door unlocked is a team and community that refuses to accept that homelessness is inevitable. This milestone proves that we can re-imagine housing access in America. By transforming how the private market engages with public need, we've shown that solving homelessness requires innovation, accountability, and courage to do things differently. We're not just building a platform, we're building a movement where housing is treated as infrastructure, not crisis response," explains Shkëlqim Kelmendi, Founder and CEO of Housing Connector.
"This milestone is a powerful example of what's possible when we bring the right partners to the table—government, nonprofits, and the private sector—all working toward a shared goal: making housing more accessible for everyone," said Jennifer Butler, Vice President of Government & Community Relations at Zillow. "At Zillow, we see housing not just as listings and data, but as people, families, and futures. We're proud to power a solution that meets the urgency of this moment and helps communities thrive."
A Scalable Solution with National Reach
Since its inception, Housing Connector has grown from a single-city solution to a national infrastructure for housing stability. The organization now operates in 8 markets across 7 states and plans to reach 15 markets and 30,000 people over the next three years.
By aligning incentives between the private and public sectors, Housing Connector's model addresses both sides of homelessness:
- Outflow: Unlocking vacant units by adjusting their screening criteria increases housing inventory, and makes vacancies easily findable, placing individuals and families exiting homelessness into homes faster.
- Inflow: Preventing evictions and housing instability before they occur breaks the cycle of homelessness reentry.
With its adaptable design, Housing Connector provides a critical infrastructure layer that complements local homelessness systems, expanding capacity as opposed to competing for it. This dual approach creates systemic resilience, ensuring people not only find homes—but keep them.
The Power of Partnership and Technology
Housing Connector's proprietary marketplace, integrated with Zillow's rentals technology, simplifies what was once an overwhelming process for under-resourced case managers and families in crisis. The partnership leverages real-time housing data and tech efficiencies to transform vacant units into housing opportunities - bridging the gap between property owners and service providers with unprecedented speed and scale.
At a time when Federal housing funding is shifting and public systems are stretched thin, technology-driven efficiency is essential. At an average annual cost of $1,000 per household—compared to the $40,000 annual public system cost to support an unhoused neighbor, this partnership delivers a scalable, high-ROI solution to a deeply human challenge. By combining Zillow's best in class technology with Housing Connector's mission-driven design, this partnership demonstrates that innovation and empathy can coexist and succeed.
Celebrating 10,000 Stories, Shaping the Next Chapter
To commemorate this historic impact milestone, Housing Connector and Zillow will co-host "Doors Unlocked: A Toast to 10,000 Stories" on October 9, 2025, in Seattle. The event will bring together leaders from government, philanthropy, business, nonprofits, and the multifamily industry to celebrate lives changed—and to envision the path ahead.
As Housing Connector sets its sights on national scale, the milestone is both a celebration and a call to action: to expand partnerships, drive investment, and reimagine housing as a human right supported by market innovation.
About Housing Connector
Housing Connector is a tech-powered nonprofit that is transforming the private housing market into a solution that combats homelessness. By partnering with property owners to remove barriers for residents and connecting them directly with vacant housing inventory, the organization increases access to housing for people most in need and helps keep families stably housed. Founded in Seattle in 2019, Housing Connector now operates in eight markets across the U.S. and is expanding nationally. Learn more at www.housingconnector.com.
About Zillow Group, Inc.
Zillow Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:Z) is reimagining real estate to make home a reality for more and more people. As the most visited real estate app and website in the United States, Zillow and its affiliates help people find and get the home they want by connecting them with digital solutions, dedicated real estate professionals, and easier buying, selling, financing, and renting experiences.
Zillow Group's affiliates, subsidiaries, and brands include Zillow®, Zillow Premier Agent®, Zillow Home Loans℠, Zillow Rentals ®, Trulia®, Out East®, StreetEasy®, HotPads®, ShowingTime+SM, Spruce®, and Follow Up Boss®.
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/housing-connector-and-zillow-reach-major-milestone-in-addressing-homelessness-302579886.html
SOURCE Zillow