Why the Dream of Turning Empty Offices Into Housing Is a Bust

On the one hand I definitely see the problem. A 70 person office with 2 sets of communal bathrooms, no kitchen, and no showers cannot become 7 single family apartments without a TON of renovation.

But on the OTHER hand.....
It can become a 40 bed homeless shelter with one sommunal shower and bathroom for each sex, a small office area for staff, and the break room can be expanded to a kitchen/ common dining room. It will take SOME renovation, but not a ton.

Now, obviously you can't turn wvwry floor of a high-rise into 30 floors of homeless shelter. But....

Many of these same cities also have serious homeless problems. And this would appear to be a (partial) low-cost solution.