---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's hard to know exactly how many empty…"
description: "\"“It's hard to know exactly how many empty houses there are...the census placed the figure, in the United States, in 2000, at about 10.5 million housing..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b2/shay-salomon-277670_empty-houses_it-s-hard-to-know-exactly-how-many-empty_1156403.jpg"
---

#  It's hard to know exactly how many empty houses there…

![“It's hard to know exactly how many empty houses there are...the census placed the figure, in the United States, in 2000, at about 10.5 million housing units (including apartments, counting duplexes as two, and so forth). For comparison: less than a quarter million people lived in homeless shelters…” quote by Shay Salomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b2/shay-salomon-277670_empty-houses_it-s-hard-to-know-exactly-how-many-empty_1156403.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b2/shay-salomon-277670_empty-houses_it-s-hard-to-know-exactly-how-many-empty_1156403.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b2/shay-salomon-277670_empty-houses_it-s-hard-to-know-exactly-how-many-empty_1156403.jpg)

> ““It's hard to know exactly how many empty houses there are...the census placed the figure, in the United States, in 2000, at about 10.5 million housing units (including apartments, counting duplexes as two, and so forth). For comparison: less than a quarter million people lived in homeless shelters in 2000.””

[Shay Salomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shay-salomon/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Despite millions of vacant houses, only a fraction of people are homeless, highlighting systemic inefficiencies.

**In simple terms:** Many homes are empty while few are homeless.

Key Takeaway

Address systemic housing allocation.

Themes

housing policy homelessness statistics

Mood

analytical concerned

Type

informative

When to use this quote

- policy making
- non‑profit work
- academic research

Key Concepts

economics urban planning social justice

Questions to Reflect On

- Why are homes vacant?
- How can we better match supply and need?

A Different Perspective

Numbers alone don’t solve the problem.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Apartments Counting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apartments-counting-3292359/) [Empty houses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empty-houses/) [Houses Census](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/houses-census-3292357/) [Housing Units](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/housing-units-3292360/) [Million Housing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/million-housing-3292358/) [Shelters 2000](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shelters-2000-3292361/)

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