Bring America Home Now Direct-Action Campaign

The National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) has launched an ambitious 1 Million Adaptive Reuse Units Campaign as a core component of its broader Bring America Home Now initiative. This campaign advocates for the transformation of underutilized or vacant commercial spaces—such as office buildings, hotels, and warehouses—into permanent, affordable housing. By focusing on adaptive reuse, the NCH aims to bypass the lengthy timelines of traditional new construction to more rapidly address the national housing shortage. This strategy not only seeks to provide immediate stability for those experiencing homelessness but also promotes urban sustainability by repurposing existing infrastructure to create deeply affordable living communities.

The landscape of affordable housing in America has been fundamentally altered by the staggering loss of Single Room Occupancy (SRO) units, which historically served as the most accessible housing tier for low-income individuals. Research estimates that over one million SRO units were demolished or converted to higher-cost uses between 1970 and 1980 alone, a decline that directly mirrors the "explosion" of modern homelessness. Today, while the nation faces a severe shortage of roughly 4 to 7 million affordable homes, there is a haunting irony in the volume of unused space: as of late 2025, there are approximately 15 million vacant housing units nationwide—representing about 10% of the total housing inventory. This inventory includes 4.3 million seasonal or recreational homes and over 1.2 million homes actively sitting on the market, yet the vacancy rate for the most affordable "low-tier" apartments remains near record lows, often under 1% in major cities. The contrast between millions of empty structures and the disappearance of the SRO model underscores a systemic mismatch, where existing infrastructure is increasingly "locked in" or repurposed for profit rather than being leveraged to house the estimated 771,000 people experiencing homelessness.

As part of its ongoing mission to end housing instability, the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) held a State Lobby Day on April 18, 2026, marking the start of a series of strategic actions leading into 2025. This advocacy effort was designed to build momentum for a National Action in the fall and serves as a critical bridge to the Housing NOW! National Day of Action in April 22, 2025, at the U.S. Capitol.  By mobilizing advocates at the state level first, the NCH is cultivating a grassroots groundswell to demand federal solutions, such as the passage of the Jobs for All Act and increased investment in permanent, affordable housing. These actions are deeply rooted in the Bring America Home Now (BAHN) campaign, which centers the leadership of those with lived experience to shift the national narrative from criminalization to compassionate, systemic change. 

^{Research from The Pew Charitable Trusts highlights that converting vacant office spaces into "co-living" micro-apartments can reduce development costs by 25% to 35% compared to traditional residential conversions. Their findings suggest that this model could deliver units at roughly half the cost of new studio apartments, providing a scalable solution to the national housing shortage and rising homelessness. Furthermore, Pew’s historical analysis links the 20th-century decline of Single Room Occupancy (SRO) housing directly to the modern homelessness crisis, reinforcing the need for flexible, shared-amenity housin}

Links:

• Bring America Home Sign up page