Not Every Place Needs to be an Airbnb

As more and more Airbnb's are popping up & everyone's hopping on the short term rental train, there's an adverse effect happening in our little city and nationwide.

We're seeing a frightening shortage of long term rentals, particularly in the area of affordable housing. And due to the increasingly slim pickings in housing options, rent is going up everywhere, forcing families to choose between health care, food, or housing.

As the owners of an Airbnb business, we're avid fans of the sharing economy and we thrive off welcoming guests to our city. But we can't deny or ignore the unintentional footprint our hospitality business may be having upon our dear city in this area. To quote a fellow Airbnb host on this topic, "not all money is good money."

As properties come on the market, we need to be asking the tough questions: what needs to be an Airbnb and what doesn't? What potential impact would this property have upon the neighbors and my city, and what makes *this* property right for short term renting?

Not every place needs to be an Airbnb.

In our city, 1 in 4 people live below the poverty line (25%-ironically in a place with a church on every corner). We need more people out there creating amazing affordable housing options, not luxury condos downtown.

As a business, we've made the decision to become more selective in the properties we are willing to accept into our Collective. And this month, we're partnering up with Rush Homes, a local organization doing the incredible work of providing affordable housing to our local community. We're offering a 2 night free stay at the River House Apt in this month's online silent auction to help raise money for their important work.

There aren't cut and dry answers for this conversation unfortunately. There’s alot of gray. But it wouldn't be loving our city to sweep it under the rug. We want to see a city and a nation where everyone flourishes and ALL belong.