Sara Vander Zanden

Social movement mobilizer Sara Vander Zanden leads Facing Homelessness, a grassroots nonprofit that invites community to end the social injustice of homelessness. Under her leadership, the organization launched an unprecedented housing initiative to support people living outside – the BLOCK Project. By building small, self-sufficient, and off-grid homes in residential backyards, the BLOCK Project unleashes the power of community and reveals that we each have a role in ending homelessness. Sara’s background in organizational psychology and communications has shaped the strategic framework of the BLOCK Project and positioned the movement for global impact. Her work shifts the paradigm: Yes, in my backyard.