What’s Wrong With America’s Houses

Whether looking for affordable housing or staying same from climate disasters, housing in the United States can be difficult. Existing home sales last year reached their highest levels since 2006. However, increasing numbers of climate disasters across the country have sparked concern about how safe homes are. Potential buyers rarely wonder “what the flood plain is here, or do they look around and see this beautiful forest and say, ‘Oh, my God, it’s going to be on fire in two years?’” American Institute of Architects consultant David Collins said. Last year was the worst fire season in U.S. history. In California, five of the state’s six-largest fires began within a two-month window. Overall, more than a dozen severe weather storms each dealt more than $1 billion in damages across the U.S. However, building homes that can withstand natural disasters are expensive and keep people, including the more than 500,000 thousand homeless counted in 2019, outside. When it comes to costs, the Covid-19 pandemic caused a surge in housing costs and a rise in unemployment, leaving nearly 600,000 Americans unhoused in 2020. In 2019, New York City spent a record-breaking $3 billion to support its homeless population. California is also expected to break its record, allocating $4.8 billion to the same issue over the next two years. Despite the rising budget, overall homelessness in the U.S. has improved by only 10% compared with 2007. It’s even worse for certain subgroups, such as individual homelessness, which dropped by only 1% in the same period. For decades, the U.S. has relied on a “housing first” approach to homelessness, where permanent housing is provided for homeless people without preconditions such as sobriety or employment. Lastly, the affordable housing crisis in the United States continues to be a problem and it is only getting worse. And in places like San Francisco, where construction costs are some of the highest in the world, overcoming the housing shortage seems impossible. However, one solution is gaining traction that could dramatically reduce the cost and time to build new housing - factory-built apartments. SEGMENTS: 00:00 Why The U.S. Builds Houses Wrong (March 2021) 13:57 Why The U.S. Can’t Solve Homelessness (January 2022) 29:09 Can Factory-Built Homes Help Solve The Housing Crisis? (February 2021)