Breaking through the epistemic impasse: Ending homelessness with the invention of ‘functional zero’ in the Anglo-American world

•Critically reflects on the shifting terrain of homelessness governance in these ‘liberal’ welfare regimes.•Traces how ‘ending homelessness’ has been conceptually reorganized through the concept of ‘functional zero’ and the epistemic temporalities that have been mobilized in the process.•Reveals a fundamental tension between future-orientated, long-term perspectives and present-focused governance imperatives in the field of homelessness policy.•Suggests concepts, such as functional zero, particularly rich for understanding the shifting political terrain of homelessness governance.