Advocate for change! Shape a better tomorrow in your community by starting
a petition today.
[ [link removed] ]Start a petition to urge your local elected officials to pass
legislation to help transform empty offices spaces into affordable
housing!

Dear MoveOn member,

 Addressing the housing crisis in the United States demands urgent and
innovative solutions. One obvious solution is all around us: the countless
empty office buildings that stand unused across hundreds of
cities. [ [link removed] ]This solution starts with you, right in your own community, and
you can get started with MoveOn’s free petition platform.

Every day, millions of individuals and families in our country struggle to
secure affordable, quality housing, 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 ultra-rich in America own, on average, nine homes.^1

[ [link removed] ]That's why we're inviting you to utilize MoveOn's free petition
platform to kick-start a petition urging your local and state elected
officials to take bold steps to address this crisis of inequity. 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 housing!^2 We must work
together to make this a reality in every community across the country and
we need your help!

The numbers speak for themselves. Right now, nearly 1 billion square feet
of office space is sitting vacant in the United States.^3 [ [link removed] ]Start a
petition and help repurpose these empty office buildings in your city into
affordable housing for all!

[5]Start a petition

Instead of trying to turn back the clock and insist that employees who
went remote at the beginning of COVID-19 return to the office—forcing
people to make impossible choices between their families, health, and
work—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.^4,5 [ [link removed] ]Get started by starting a local petition in your city or
state and inspiring this movement to 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.^6 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. 

We understand that petition writing might be new to some, and that's
perfectly OK! If you're unsure about how to get started, need help framing
your message, or want guidance on how to reach your community effectively,
we've got your back. From crafting your message to promoting your cause,
we're with you every step of the way. [ [link removed] ]So what are you waiting for? Use
MoveOn's free petition platform to fight for affordable housing for all. 

Join us in telling elected officials to make this a reality in
neighborhoods, cities, and states across the country. [ [link removed] ]Start a petition
to make it easier to turn office buildings into affordable housing!

Thanks for all you do.

–Aliya, Valeria, Jensine, Isbah, and the rest of the team

Sources: 

1. "Here's How Many Homes the Average Billionaire Now Owns," Fortune,
December 2, 2016
[link removed]

2. "Cities look to revive downtowns by converting offices to housing,"
PBS, April 24, 2023
[link removed]

3. "Visualizing 1 Billion Square Feet of Empty Office Space," Visual
Capitalist, July 7, 2023
[link removed]

4. "New York Plans to Open Parts of Midtown Manhattan to Housing," The New
York Times, August 17, 2023
[link removed]

5. "Pittsburgh City Council looking to repurpose old office building for
affordable housing," CBS News Pittsburgh, July 27, 2023
[link removed]

6. "Turning unused office space into housing could solve 2 problems, but
it's tricky," NPR, July 24, 2023
[link removed]




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