Downtown San Francisco alone has 18.4 million square feet of empty office space. Homelessness has dramatically increased in the past few years. On nearly every block in San Fransisco, there is at least 1 homeless person. Not only does this affect these people who don’t have a roof over their heads or a warm meal, but it also affects the citizens of the Bay Area. Homelessness increases the rise in gangs, drugs, and crimes because they are more likely to have severe mental health struggles. This is a problem because it makes the city unsafe for everybody there. The most effective method to solve the homelessness crisis in the Bay Area is turning empty commercial real estate into shelter because it is affordable since the resources are already provided, and homelessness has not decreased for years.