By Michael Hopkins

It is no secret that there is a housing affordability crisis in the metropolitan Washington, DC region. Average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in our nation’s capital is $2,400 per month, meaning that individuals making minimum wage in DC would need to spend a whopping 81 percent of their income on rent alone to live in the city. In 2023, 8,944 human beings in the metropolitan Washington, DC region were homeless; 4,922 in DC proper, 2,221 in Northern Virginia, and 1,801 in the surrounding counties of Maryland.

Simultaneously, the rise of remote work has led to historically high office vacancy rates in metropolitan Washington, DC — 21.2 percent in DC, 23.3 percent in Northern Virginia, and 23.4 percent in the surrounding counties of Maryland. That amounts to almost 80 million square feet of office space sitting empty, enough to fill the Pentagon 12 times.

Vacant office space needs to be converted into housing across the region, but full-scale, traditional conversion is challenging, complex, and costly. Mayor Bowser has offered a $41 million Housing in Downtown tax incentive to encourage developers to take up this difficult task, but there’s another way for vacant office space to have residential value. Conversion from office space to dormitory-style housing or shelter would be simpler, cheaper, and could provide housing for those in our region who need it most.

First, empty office space could become low-income student housing. Local governments could partner with educational institutions to offer subsidized dormitory-style housing to low-income students in undergraduate, graduate, community college, vocational school, and adult education programs. This dormitory model would require little to no renovation from the current office floor plan — small existing offices could become bedrooms for students, conference rooms could become social and study spaces, and existing bathrooms would remain communal. All parties would benefit — students would love subsidized housing in desirable parts of town, local governments could make meaningful progress on the affordable housing crisis, and educational institutions could ensure that their most vulnerable students have stable housing and a better chance of graduating.

Second, this same model of office conversion to dormitory-style housing could create low-income workforce housing. Over 1,100 people in the metropolitan Washington, DC region are both employed and homeless. This type of housing would be a huge asset to this population specifically, as well as to the many folks who are teetering on the brink of homelessness.

Third, empty office space could become 24-hour low-barrier shelter for unhoused individuals and families; again with little to no renovation required. Small offices could be space for individuals, large offices could be space for families, large open areas could be space for tents to be set up indoors, and existing bathrooms would stay communal. Shelters like this could supplement the services that the existing Downtown Day Center and other service providers (e.g. Miriam’s Kitchen, Catholic Charities, UPO) already provide. They could offer breakfast, dinner, general counseling, and more extensive bag storage, and would be particularly helpful for those who do not meet the criteria for existing shelters. An initiative like this could significantly reduce homeless encampments and enable local governments to offer preventative and restorative services more efficiently to vulnerable residents.

Additionally, there must be thoughtful inclusion of permanent supportive housing (PSH) units in all traditional, full-scale office-to-residential conversions across the region. While the conversion of a single commercial space for single-site permanent supportive housing may be cost-prohibitive, the inclusion of PSH units within any market-rate development is a reasonable expectation of developers.

The United Church of Christ Justice & Witness Action Network-Washington DC recently sent a Reimagine Downtown DC proposal to Mayor Bowser advocating for all of the above methods to convert vacant office space into housing for vulnerable folks. But the opportunity presented by vacant office space isn’t just limited to DC. Imagine how different our entire region would be if empty office buildings across the DMV were transformed into sorely needed housing for those most affected by the affordable housing crisis.

Let’s be creative and think beyond just the full-scale, traditional office-to-residential conversion model. Let’s take advantage of this unique opportunity to make this region a pioneer in making housing affordable and attainable for all.

Michael Hopkins is a member of First Congregational United Church of Christ of Washington DC and United Church of Christ Justice & Witness Action Network-Washington DC