For decades, I’ve listened to:
- Federal agencies.
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State housing authorities.
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County task forces.
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Non-profits.
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For-profits.
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Consultants.
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Developers.
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Advisory panels.
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Subcommittees.
Each one is armed with studies, projections, pilot programs, and five-year action plans to solve homelessness and affordable housing in America.
And yet here we are.
Even in the wealthiest towns in the United States, teachers can’t afford to live where they teach. Firefighters can’t afford to live where they protect. Police officers and social workers commute from hours away to serve communities that would rather hold listening sessions than issue building permits.
At some point, we have to ask a cold question:
After decades of “planning,” why are we still planning?
The Endless Cycle of Planning
I’ve seen it happen over and over.
- An “action plan” is drafted.
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It goes up for public review.
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Zoning concerns surface.
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Environmental reviews multiply.
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NIMBY groups organize.
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Regulations tighten.
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The plan is watered down.
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The numbers shrink.
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The timeline stretches.
Then it quietly dies.
And the next task force forms.
We don’t have a housing crisis because we lack experts.
We have one because experts are stuck inside a system that rewards discussion and punishes execution.
The Dangerous Talk I’m Hearing
Lately, I’ve heard things that should make everyone uncomfortable.
“Those people only need basic shelter.”
“We can get the modular industry to build millions of houses that all look alike.”
“Let’s buy a million plastic wall boxes and stack them in vacant lots.”
Let me translate that:
We’ve moved from building communities to warehousing human beings.
Some of these ideas are dressed up as innovation. Some are framed as compassionate urgency. But many of them quietly lower the bar for what we believe certain Americans deserve.
And that’s not a housing solution. That’s surrender.
The Firefighter Reality Check
Let’s bring this down to earth.
Nationally, city firefighters earn around $58,000 a year. In some areas of California, total compensation can exceed $200,000. But in much of the country, experienced firefighters earn between $52,000 and $59,000 annually.
Meanwhile, median home prices routinely exceed $400,000.
In high-cost cities like Los Angeles, a firefighter can spend over 50% of their income on housing. Ownership becomes nearly impossible without subsidies, special financing programs, or family wealth.
Read that again.
The people who run into burning buildings often can’t afford a safe one of their own.
This isn’t about “those people.”
This is about the backbone of our communities.
We Don’t Have a Manufacturing Problem
As someone who has spent decades in offsite and modular construction, let me say something unpopular:
The modular industry cannot fix a political problem.
Yes, we can build faster.
Yes, we can build with precision.
Yes, we can deliver quality at scale.
But we cannot build through zoning walls.
We cannot crane-set modules into neighborhoods that legally prohibit them.
We cannot out-manufacture regulatory gridlock.
Telling the modular industry to “build millions” without first reforming land use policy is like asking firefighters to put out a wildfire without water.
What If We Told the Truth?
What if we admitted that:
• Zoning reform is more important than another task force.
• Speed of approval matters more than another pilot project.
• Density must increase in communities that say they “support affordable housing.”
• Teachers, firefighters, and police deserve proximity, not pity.
What if we stopped pretending that another 300-page housing study will change reality?
The truth is brutal.
We know how to build homes.
We know how to finance them.
We know how to manufacture them efficiently.
What we don’t know how to do is make hard political decisions without fear of backlash.
Enough With the Models. Show Me the Foundations.
America does not need another conceptual rendering.
It needs foundations being poured.
It needs permits issued in weeks, not years.
It needs zoning boards that measure success by doors opened, not meetings held.
Until that happens, we’ll keep holding conferences about housing shortages in cities surrounded by “No Multi-Family” signs.
And firefighters will keep commuting.
And teachers will keep leaving.
And task forces will keep meeting.
Planning feels productive.
Building actually is.
So here’s the cold-hearted question:
Are we serious about solving this?
Or are we just very good at talking about it?
Gary Fleisher—known throughout the industry as The Modcoach—has been immersed in offsite and modular construction for over three decades. Beyond writing, he advises companies across the offsite ecosystem, offering practical marketing insight and strategic guidance grounded in real-world factory, builder, and market experience.
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