So what does a "housing emergency" entail? I imagine that it's when the entire country is infested with termites, and a huge fraction of the houses have to be

So what does a "housing emergency" entail? I imagine that it's when the entire country is infested with termites, and a huge fraction of the houses have to be burned. Then we have to build a lot of temporary housing so that people don't die. At least, that's what "emergency" means to me -- a situation so dire that we have to focus on the immediate problems. As opposed to, say, an excuse to throw out rules generally and permanently.