New Bipartisan Bill Aims to Transform Vacant Spaces into Homes
September 26, 2025
The bipartisan, bicameral RESIDE Act will help communities convert vacant buildings into affordable homes.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressmembers Sam Liccardo (CA-16), Maria Salazar (FL-27), Johnny Olszewski (MD-02), and Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01) introduced the Revitalizing Empty Structures Into Desirable Environments (RESIDE) Act. The bill aims to create a new pilot program providing local communities with grants to rehabilitate vacant buildings into affordable homes.
“As a contagion of housing crisis has spread to nearly every major U.S. metro, ample sites with vacant office buildings, empty malls, and declining motels languish,” said Liccardo. “With RESIDE, we can help transform downtown ‘doom loops’ and strip malls into flourishing, vibrant communities.”
“Homeownership has long been a cornerstone of the American dream. In Miami, that dream has become increasingly unaffordable, especially for young people,” said Salazar. “The Revitalizing Empty Structures Into Desirable Environments Act is a bipartisan, budget-neutral, and commonsense solution that would increase the supply of housing and make the dream of homeownership a reality.”
"I'm proud to co-lead a thoughtful and effective solution to one of our nation's most pressing issues — attainable housing," said Olszewski. "No family should worry about having a warm and safe place to sleep at night. Repurposing vacant buildings both meets the growing demand for attainable housing in this economy and revives local spaces. I'm proud to support this creative legislation to address the housing crisis affecting every community in our country."
“Housing affordability is one of the defining challenges of our time, and it demands solutions that are as practical as they are visionary. The RESIDE Act answers that call. By bridging the gap between underused buildings and unmet housing needs, it empowers local governments to transform abandoned warehouses, hotels, and strip malls into affordable homes without adding a dime of new spending. In doing so, we can reinvigorate main streets, make smarter use of existing infrastructure, and help more families achieve the American dream of homeownership,” said Fitzpatrick.
The RESIDE Act recently passed in committee in the Senate’s bipartisan housing package led by Senators Mark Warner (D-VA) and Jim Banks (R-IN). The pilot program–offered through the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s HOME program–will give priority to municipalities with lower regulatory barriers for housing conversion.
The bill text can be found here.
“As a contagion of housing crisis has spread to nearly every major U.S. metro, ample sites with vacant office buildings, empty malls, and declining motels languish,” said Liccardo. “With RESIDE, we can help transform downtown ‘doom loops’ and strip malls into flourishing, vibrant communities.”
“Homeownership has long been a cornerstone of the American dream. In Miami, that dream has become increasingly unaffordable, especially for young people,” said Salazar. “The Revitalizing Empty Structures Into Desirable Environments Act is a bipartisan, budget-neutral, and commonsense solution that would increase the supply of housing and make the dream of homeownership a reality.”
"I'm proud to co-lead a thoughtful and effective solution to one of our nation's most pressing issues — attainable housing," said Olszewski. "No family should worry about having a warm and safe place to sleep at night. Repurposing vacant buildings both meets the growing demand for attainable housing in this economy and revives local spaces. I'm proud to support this creative legislation to address the housing crisis affecting every community in our country."
“Housing affordability is one of the defining challenges of our time, and it demands solutions that are as practical as they are visionary. The RESIDE Act answers that call. By bridging the gap between underused buildings and unmet housing needs, it empowers local governments to transform abandoned warehouses, hotels, and strip malls into affordable homes without adding a dime of new spending. In doing so, we can reinvigorate main streets, make smarter use of existing infrastructure, and help more families achieve the American dream of homeownership,” said Fitzpatrick.
The RESIDE Act recently passed in committee in the Senate’s bipartisan housing package led by Senators Mark Warner (D-VA) and Jim Banks (R-IN). The pilot program–offered through the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s HOME program–will give priority to municipalities with lower regulatory barriers for housing conversion.
The bill text can be found here.
Issues:
Lowering Costs