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Perspective

How Single-Family Garages Can Ease California's Housing Crisis

Given the affordable housing crisis, California cities should encourage single-family homeowners to convert garages into apartments and accessory dwelling units.

Let's live in here. — Let's live in here.Jeff Chiu/AP Images

By

Donald Shoup, Anne Brown and Vinit Mukhija

April 19, 2019, 1:16 PM UTC

Due to severe shortages of affordable housing, more Americans than ever are bedding down inside their vehicles: In Los Angeles County, home to the country’s greatest number of unsheltered homeless people, more than 15,000 individuals live in cars, vans, and mobile homes.

Meanwhile, across the U.S., there are more homes with three-car garages being constructed than there are one-bedroom apartments.