Tens of thousands of people need homes in New York City while thousands of government-run apartments are sitting empty.
There are so many of them, if you put them all together, they'd fill up the entire Empire State Building and then some.
The problem has grown worse since 7 On Your Side first reported on the issue two years ago.
"I don't understand -- what's their excuse, what's the holdup?" Betty Bernhart asked when we first interviewed her back in 2023.
Betty joined the waitlist for a New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) apartment eight years ago. She's still waiting today.
She's one of over 174,000 people on the waitlist.
Back in 2023, there were 4,800 city-run apartments sitting empty. Today, that number has grown to more than 5,900. That's a 23% increase.
They're vacant apartments that are waiting to be renovated before new tenants are allowed to move in.
"We've seen people build buildings in less time," said Councilmember Alexa Aviles, who sits on the city's Public Housing Committee.
Aviles asked housing leaders about the increase in empty units during a recent hearing on public housing.
NYCHA officials said the apartments are old and that it can take up to six months to remove lead paint and asbestos.
"This is a vital opportunity to carry out critical health and safety work," NYCHA Chief Operating Officer Eva Trimble said.
While the number of empty units has ballooned, the time it takes to turn around a vacant apartment has improved. Two years ago, it took 412 days. Today, it takes 352 days. That's a 15% improvement.
"Those time frames still feel obscenely long," Aviles said.
Councilmember Aviles sponsored new city legislation that would require the city give a detailed monthly report on vacant apartments.
In a statement, the city said it posts vacancy information on its website, which is updated monthly.
"While the Council does not have legislative jurisdiction over NYCHA, we are always happy to work with the sponsor and her colleagues on policy matters. NYCHA already makes available to the public vacancy data on it's Metrics page, which is updated on a monthly basis. The Metrics page provides point-in-time updates which best capture where we are in the turnover process in a given month."
Some city council members said they don't want totals on units vacant, they want specifics on where they're located and why they're still empty.
"The constant reporting is really about accountability," said Aviles.