In 2025, Grand Traverse County launched a Housing and Homelessness Task Force that brought together local elected officials, civic leaders, and community stakeholders to develop a unified, data-driven plan to end homelessness. This session will explore how one rural community built political will and cross-sector collaboration to move from fragmented services to strategic systems-level change. Attendees will learn how to structure time-limited working groups, engage city and county commissioners, align around shared goals, and keep housing as the central solution—even when facing resistance. The presentation will offer practical tools, messaging strategies, and lessons learned that other communities can adapt, regardless of size or resources.