Airbnb on Wednesday announced the launch of a new panel of experts created to help solve the housing affordability crisis across the United States.
In a statement published on its website, the company announced the formation of the Airbnb Housing Council, chaired by former Baltimore mayor and former President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.
The council will be tasked to convene with leading independent housing organizations and experts to advise Airbnb on policies and initiatives that will help increase the country's housing supply and drive down home prices. In addition, the group will also help identify how Airbnb can work with cities on short-term rental policies, especially for communities facing housing affordability challenges.
"As a former mayor, I know the challenges municipal leaders face in addressing housing challenges in their communities," Rawlings-Blake said.
"There are no shortcuts or simple solutions to this crisis-it was many years in the making and will take a coordinated, long-term effort to address. We need all community stakeholders - both the public and private sector - to work together to bolster America's housing supply. Airbnb is committed to doing its part, and I look forward to working with the company and the members of the Housing Council to guide them in those efforts," she added.
Rawlings-Blake will be joined by other housing experts and advocates in the country, including Hon. Levar Stoney, Mayor of Richmond; Clarence Anthony, CEO and executive director of the National League of Cities; Nikitra Bailey, executive vice president of the National Fair Housing Alliance; Sara Bronin, director at the National Zoning Atlas; David Dworkin, president and CEO of the National Housing Conference; Laura Foote, executive director of YIMBY Action; Mike Kingsella, CEO of Up for Growth; Ben Metcalf, managing director of the Terner Center for Housing Innovation; and Dennis Shea, executive director of the J. Ronald Terwilliger Center for Housing Policy.
Past Efforts
The company's formation of the housing council follows its other initiatives to combat the country's housing affordability crisis. It previously donated $3 million to the San Francisco Foundation to support California's efforts in approving local affordable housing bond measures. It also backed a Colorado ballot initiative that would dedicate $300 million in tax dollars toward affordable housing.
