Jeff Sonsteinjsonstein
Aug 1, 2025, 9:27 PMI just keep thinking about this ratio. I know we can do better than this.
- **Vacant homes in the US**: ~14,900,000
- **Homeless people in the US (2024)**: ~771,000
that is just absurd
Replies
Janejaneadams@datavis.socialAug 2, 2025, 10:59 AM@jsonstein you might find this post helpful: https://darrellowens.substack.com/p/vacant-nuance-in-the-vacant-housing
A similarly interesting discussion: https://www.reddit.com/r/badeconomics/comments/12yrk07/stop_comparing_the_number_of_vacant_homes_to_the/
- Jeff SonsteinjsonsteinAug 2, 2025, 11:08 AM
@janeadams I think you get the point: we can do bettrr
- Janejaneadams@datavis.socialAug 2, 2025, 11:13 AM
@jsonstein yes, we can do better, but having a lower vacancy rate will not necessarily reduce homelessness nor improve the housing market. If anything, a higher vacancy rate would decrease competition. I bring it up mostly because it’s a common refrain among housing activists who work with vulnerable homeless populations that they are frustrated with seeing these two stats repeatedly juxtaposed as if the solution is simply to plop people into empty homes, details be damned
- Jeff SonsteinjsonsteinAug 2, 2025, 11:41 AM
@janeadams you react as though I made an argument I did not make. please do not put words into the mouths of others.
you see welcome to your politics.