There are empty commercial office buildings in EVERY city big and small across the US. Buildings that are not empty are 30-50% full.
What the government can do is help in the regulation process to convert many of these buildings from a commercial to residential occupancy. Streamline the process and the owners will do the rest.
Many commercial buildings are in crime ridden downtown big cities.
The conversions may look nice and shiny but within ten years they will be slums.