Do You Think Office Spaces Should be Turned Into Homeless Shelters?

Homelessness is an undying issue in the community. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, more than 36 million Americans ended up jobless, this led to a 2.2% increase in the percentage of homeless over 2019. Through the years, many billionaire philanthropists like Warren Buffet of Berkshire Hathaway and Michael and Susan Dell of Dell Computers pledged to donate monetary help by building foundations that work with non-government organizations. Their causes are about health, education and poverty alleviation which concerns homelessness in different parts of the world.

Billionaire’s Helping the Fight Against Homelessness

Due to the pandemic, more efforts are needed to address the crisis of homelessness. Addressing family homelessness was one of the first challenges billionaire philanthropists Bill and Melinda Gates of Microsoft supported. From transitional housing, they learned that this wasn’t enough and that systemic changes and more flexible social services were also needed. 

In April, the richest person in the world and Tesla CEO Elon Musk became trending after tweeting a poll about whether the Twitter Headquarters should be converted into a facility for the homeless, just like the Amazon, Inc. CEO Jeff Bezos did. The majority agreed with the Tech Billionaire’s suggestion. As of today, the tweet has already been deleted.

Homelessness may seem to be impossible to eliminate, but collective efforts can make a difference in reducing or even ending this crisis. Permanent solutions such as converting office spaces to homeless facilities should be considered, especially during this time of the pandemic when a lot of offices are not being used. 

Leasing an Office Space is Not the Only Option

Office space rental is often a big expense for small companies or start-ups. The unexpected experiment in remote working surpassed expectations because of the mass adoption of collaboration technologies. This opened up new possibilities for how much flexibility employees can have in choosing how and where to work. Operating from home will help these companies save and eliminate operating costs. Leasing an office space is costly, depending on the location, foot traffic, and accessibility. Expect that the cost of the space will be high.

In this modern time, having a conventional office is not the only option. Remote work and hiring freelancers and Virtual staff have been a norm ever since the pandemic struck. It is not a surprise that most of the employees are choosing to switch from commuting to working remotely. 

A start-up founder or small business owner should think twice before leasing an office space because of all the additional fees to consider, such as maintenance fees, parking fees, etc. Imagine the savings of the company if you don’t have to get yourself stuck in a leasing contract!

Working Remotely Benefits Both Sides

It is proven that hiring virtual assistants can save you money on operational costs and still have the same benefits as someone hired in a physical office. Being a business owner, you will save tons of time in the hiring process, save in operational costs and leasing payments, help families stay together, and promote the real work-life balance that everyone wishes for. But there are pros and cons to any setup.

The lack of flexibility in the workplace is one of the factors that affect the high percentage of workers preferring to work remotely. A poll created by Morning Consult for the BPO or call center industry resulted in 55% of remote workers in the US quitting their jobs rather than going back to the office. 50% of companies are pushing for a complete back-to-office setting. People realized that they could still work remotely and still be productive. As business owners save, virtual assistants can also save a lot from transportation/gas expenses, and they can maximize their time! No need to wake up early and even prepare food ahead of time. Virtual assistants are in the comfort of their own homes.

It is now proven by Amazon Inc. that commercial spaces such as an office can be turned into a facility that can help the community. Who would have thought that an office could be a permanent homeless shelter? Switching to remote working or hiring virtual assistants is the way to move forward. Adapting to change is vital in our lives.