Identify the nature and scope of homelessness.  Local and national data, reports and data from service agencies prove useful to this task.  Through this exercise communities identify the many primary and secondary factors that cause homelessness.  Even current programs may at times inadvertently perpetuate circumstances of homelessness.
 
Establish a business plan or service model  that will serve homeless people differently and better. Communities may realize that homelessness is more pervasive than they thought, and realize as well that the current service models are insufficient to prevent or stop someone from becoming homeless. This model is included in a plan to end homelessness. Communities across the US have commonly come to call these plans as the Ten Year Plans to End Homelessness.
 
Identify the current and new resources. Most communities find that although they need new resources they first look at a realignment of their current resources and strategize ways to use those resources more efficiently, in collaboration with other players in the community.
 
Establish different performance measures. Communities like to see that their new service model produces better results, and they establish new accountability measures to show the return of the new resources and show policy makers the benefits of using existing resources differently. This phase includes a restructuring of current data collection, or new data systems.