2020 taught the human race a new chapter through the coronavirus pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic was nothing less than a nightmare, taking the world under its shackles. Various state and federal governments have started working in this direction to limit the pathogen from spreading says Maxwell Drever. These institutions have tried their best to promise safety and better health for their people.
In such a scenario, another problem popped up: the demand for affordable residential units. Since the population of workforce service providers is increasing in leaps and bounds, they do require shelters to dwell peacefully. In such a situation, homeownership is not a solution. Then what should be done? The answer is the transformation of underutilized and downtown hotels into affordable residential units.
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What’s the motivation behind it?
You must be thinking, why must an individual undertake the conversion? The answer is as a philanthropic act. It has short-term and long-term implications too. It will provide temporary lodging to the workforce population in the short term. Thus ensuring a better community bond. It will relieve the hotel owners from stagnant businesses for a long time by providing them with a smooth supply of revenues. Hence, Maxwell Drever believes it serves the dual purpose of economic prosperity and philanthropic act.
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Gaze at the official figures
If you look at records of higher authorities, you will see that people coming from the workforce are facing the issue of homelessness. Various people in the community are taking steps in the innovation, planning, and development of residential units to cater to the improving demand for housing supply. As a result, various erstwhile properties got transfigured into affordable housing units. However, the numbers are meager. As a result, landlords and hotel owners must join their hands to transform their properties into estates for the homeless people.
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The link between affordable housing and economic health
Since the COVID-19 pandemic affected the economy in multiple ways, various properties were on the edge of sale. By retransforming the existing properties into residential units, hotel owners can ensure the reduction of homelessness risk. Along with this, Maxwell Drever opines that political and financial support from governmental institutions can go a long way in solving this issue of housing affordability.
Various agents of the economy are interested in vacant estates and hotels to convert these into emergency housing for the workforce population. They are doing this because they know that it has the potential to get them smooth revenues every month.
Actions to undertake in the future
With a recurrent coronavirus outbreak, various plans and strategies are evolving. The need of the hour is a housing program and initiatives by higher institutions for repurposing vacant estates into temporary residential properties. A detailed examination of the property at an appropriate location becomes vital. Governments must also monitor the entire conversion process to adhere to the local code of conduct.