Housing Crisis: Are We Building Empty Boxes?

Affordable housing is a hot mess, and Eric G is here to spill the tea on why that is. With nearly 1,900 affordable units sitting empty in the Portland metro area, we’ve got to ask: What’s the city doing about it? Spoiler alert: Not much! Eric dives into this absurdity and how the local government might as well be running the DMV when it comes to getting people into homes. Oh, and if you thought your biggest worry was a leaky crawlspace, think again—how about a bear crashing your pad? Yeah, that's a thing now. Buckle up, folks, because we’re tackling these wild updates and some recalls you definitely don’t want to miss, all while trying not to lose our minds over the state of housing. Affordable housing is like the Holy Grail of urban living – everyone’s hunting for it, but when you finally find it, you realize it’s just a mirage. Eric G dives into this conundrum in our latest weekday update, where he serves up a heaping dose of sarcasm along with a side of reality check. It turns out that while cities are clamoring for more affordable housing, they’re also sitting on a pile of vacant units that are gathering dust like that treadmill in the corner of your living room. With nearly 1,900 affordable housing units just chilling in the Portland metro area, Eric raises the question: do we really need more units or should we first figure out how to get people into the ones we already have? Spoiler alert: it’s probably the latter. The government’s slow-moving machinery seems to be failing at filling these units, and Eric’s got the receipts to back it up. He paints a picture of the bureaucratic nightmare that is the application process, which makes you question if they’re actually trying to help or just giving you the runaround. Tune in as Eric challenges local governments to get their act together and stop building more when they can’t even fill what’s already there – because, really, who needs a new shiny building when the ones we have are just sitting empty? Takeaways: In Portland, there are currently 1,900 vacant affordable housing units, highlighting a significant inefficiency in local housing policies. The government’s slow process for getting people into affordable housing is reminiscent of waiting in line at the DMV, which is just a special kind of torture. Recent recalls include various baby products and Spartan mowers due to safety hazards, so check your gear before it checks you. Imagine discovering a bear living in your crawlspace—because why not add some wildlife drama to your home maintenance woes? As cities push for more affordable housing, we need to ask how effective their systems really are at filling those units, instead of just piling on more empty buildings. If you have a Walmart Ozark Trail camping stove, it might just decide to explode one day, so maybe stick to cold sandwiches instead. Links referenced in this episode: aroundthehouseonline.com cpsc.gov youtube.com/aroundthehousewithericg Companies mentioned in this episode: Apartments.com Spartan Walmart Ozark Trail To get your questions answered by Eric G give us a call in the studio at 833-239-4144 24/7 and Eric G will get back to you and answer your question and you might end up in a future episode of Around the House. Thanks for listening to Around the house if you want to hear more please subscribe so you get notified of the latest episode as it posts at https://around-the-house-with-e.captivate.fm/listen If you want to join the Around the House Insider for access to the back catalog, Exclusive Content and a direct email to Eric G and access to the show early https://around-the-house-with-e.captivate.fm/support We love comments and we would love reviews on how this information has helped you on your house! Thanks for listening! For more information about the show head to https://aroundthehouseonline.com/ Information given on the Around the House Show should not be considered construction or design advice for your specific project, nor is it intended to replace consulting at your home or jobsite by a building professional. The views and opinions expressed by those interviewed on the podcast are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Around the House Show.