Friday, September 26, 2025
All the Bits Fit to Print
The decline of YMCA housing and lessons from Japanese internet cafés on affordable young adult living.
The YMCA once provided affordable, supportive housing for young men, but decades of policy changes and regulatory barriers have decimated these options. Meanwhile, countries like Japan and Korea offer innovative, flexible housing solutions through internet cafés and PC bangs, highlighting what the U.S. has lost.
Why it matters: The destruction of affordable SRO housing has worsened youth homelessness and housing insecurity in the U.S.
The big picture: Regulatory and zoning policies systematically eliminated low-cost housing, while other countries adapt market-driven models for gig economy workers.
Stunning stat: Nearly one million SRO units were eliminated nationwide from 1955 to 2013, despite growing urban populations.
Commenters say: Readers criticize generational divides, call out regulatory hypocrisy, and urge adoption of flexible, affordable housing models seen in Asia.