One obvious solution is all around us: the countless empty office buildings that stand unused across hundreds of cities.

Add your name to urge your elected officials to pass legislation to transform empty office spaces into affordable housing!

Dear MoveOn member,

The Biden administration just announced a multi-agency effort to encourage states and cities to convert empty office buildings into housing units.1 This is a huge investment in a creative and sustainable solution to our housing crisis—but we need local elected officials to seize the opportunity and support the moment. 

Every day, millions of individuals and families in our country struggle to find quality housing that they can afford, often sacrificing over half of their wages to keep a roof over their heads, while others experience housing instability and houselessness. Meanwhile, a staggering disparity persists, as the ultrarich in America own, on average, nine homes.2

Addressing the housing crisis in the United States is an urgent need that demands timely and innovative solutions. One obvious solution is all around us: the countless empty office buildings collecting dust across hundreds of cities.

Graphic with a photo of people holding a sign that says "Housing is a Human Right" and the text below that says "MAKE OFFICE SPACE INTO AFFORDABLE HOUSING" and "SIGN THE PETITION" with the MoveOn logo in the corner.

Local and state elected officials can and must take bold steps to address this crisis of inequity and pass legislation to make it easier for empty office buildings to be renovated and turned into affordable housing. And it’s already happening. In New York, nearly 80 office buildings have been repurposed into housing—and 200 more could be repurposed over the next decade, paving the way for 20,000 units of new homes!3

Together we can make affordable housing for all a reality. Urge your locally elected officials to streamline permitting processes, revise zoning laws, establish tax exemptions and abatements, and create funding and grants to drive and incentivize conversions.

Right now, nearly 1 billion square feet of office space sits vacant in the United States.4 Add your name to the petition and help repurpose these empty office buildings into affordable housing for all!

Instead of trying to make workers who went remote at the beginning of COVID-19 return to the office—forcing people to make impossible choices between their families, health, and jobs—we can use this moment to reimagine what’s possible and innovate to meet our country's most urgent and pressing needs. 

Change is possible. Legislation in California has already been introduced to make it easier to turn office buildings into affordable housing, and local elected officials in cities like Pittsburgh and New York City have also eased restrictions to incentivize reimagining vacant buildings into housing.5,6 Add your name to help this movement spread across the country.

This solution is not only good for people, it’s good for the environment. New construction accounts for 11% of global carbon emissions.7 Repurposing existing buildings rather than starting construction from scratch offers a more sustainable pathway to addressing our housing crisis and urgent environmental priorities at the scale we desperately need. 

Join thousands of fellow MoveOn members and ask your elected officials to make this a reality in neighborhoods, cities, and states across the country. Sign the petition to make it easier to turn office buildings into affordable housing!

Thanks for all you do.

–Aliya, Sana, Valeria, Amanda, and the rest of the team

Sources: 

1. "The Biden administration is encouraging the conversion of empty office space to affordable housing," AP News, October 27, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/184873?t=9&akid=368696%2E40999114%2Ev-RFYf

2. "Here's How Many Homes the Average Billionaire Now Owns," Fortune, December 2, 2016
https://act.moveon.org/go/179863?t=11&akid=368696%2E40999114%2Ev-RFYf

3. "Cities look to revive downtowns by converting offices to housing," PBS, April 24, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/179864?t=13&akid=368696%2E40999114%2Ev-RFYf

4. "Visualizing 1 Billion Square Feet of Empty Office Space," Visual Capitalist, July 7, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/179865?t=15&akid=368696%2E40999114%2Ev-RFYf

5. "New York Plans to Open Parts of Midtown Manhattan to Housing," The New York Times, August 17, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/179866?t=17&akid=368696%2E40999114%2Ev-RFYf

6. "Pittsburgh City Council looking to repurpose old office building for affordable housing," CBS News Pittsburgh, July 27, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/179867?t=19&akid=368696%2E40999114%2Ev-RFYf

7. "Turning unused office space into housing could solve 2 problems, but it's tricky," NPR, July 24, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/179868?t=21&akid=368696%2E40999114%2Ev-RFYf

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