National Urban League and UnidosUS join the Airbnb Housing Council

More than 15 years since its founding, Airbnb continues to be an economic lifeline for people around the world with 40 percent of hosts saying the income from hosting helps them stay in their homes. To help ensure more people can benefit from the economic opportunities of hosting and homeownership, Airbnb is expanding partnerships with leading organizations through the Airbnb Housing Council and the Airbnb Entrepreneurship Academy.

National Urban League and UnidosUS join the Airbnb Housing Council

In January 2024, we launched the Airbnb Housing Council as part of our commitment to partner with governments and communities on the housing challenges they face. Chaired by former mayor of Baltimore Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, the Council brings together leading independent housing organizations and experts to advise Airbnb on policies, partnerships and initiatives we can support that not only help spur housing supply but also prioritize inclusion and access for all communities.

Since launching, the Council has served as an incubator of ideas, providing valuable guidance on how the company can best support coalitions, research, and policies to increase the country’s housing supply and advance housing equity. For example, the Housing Council has shaped Airbnb’s strategy for supporting local housing reform efforts, including a $200,000 contribution to Up for Growth and YIMBY Action, which will support their grassroots efforts to build more housing in communities across the US. The Housing Council also endorsed Airbnb’s support of Proposition 5, a California ballot measure to increase funding for affordable housing and infrastructure projects, and our advocacy for fair short-term rental rules that ensure renters—who are more likely to be cost burdened—have the same rights as homeowners to share their home.

Building off this work, we’re proud to welcome two new members to the Housing Council: 

• Marc H. Morial, President and CEO, National Urban League and former Mayor of New Orleans
• Laura Arce, Senior Vice President for Economic Initiatives, UnidosUS

Representing two of the nation’s foremost civil rights organizations, Laura and Marc bring deep expertise in equity, inclusion, and expanding access to affordable homeownership. Their leadership ensures that underrepresented communities remain a central part of the conversation on housing affordability. On the Council, they will help inform how we can be better partners to cities facing complex housing challenges and create more equitable opportunities for individuals to achieve economic success through homeownership and home sharing. Laura and Marc join our ten existing Housing Council members.

“Hosting has been an instrument utilized by the African American community to creatively build wealth. We look forward to working with Airbnb’s Housing Council to help both address the root cause of the housing crisis in our cities as well as expand economic opportunities through hosting for members of our community.”

—Marc H. Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League

“Homeownership is the single greatest driver of wealth in America, and UnidosUS is proud to bring our decades-long experience helping Latinos become homeowners to the Airbnb Housing Council. The ability to share your home with visitors through Airbnb is a great tool to help Latino homeowners generate supplemental income and build Latino power, wealth, and economic resilience through homeownership. We look forward to bringing our community-first perspective to the conversation.”

—Laura Arce, Senior Vice President for Economic Initiatives at UnidosUS

Expanding the Airbnb Entrepreneurship Academy to support underrepresented communities

The Housing Council’s work is closely aligned with Airbnb’s broader initiatives to ensure people from diverse backgrounds have access to home sharing as a resource to support homeownership and build generational wealth. For example, we continue to grow the Airbnb Entrepreneurship Academy, which introduces individuals from diverse and underrepresented communities to hosting on our platform via Airbnb’s series of community-led online and in-person education classes. Since the Academy’s launch in 2017, we’ve partnered with over 50 organizations globally to help more than 7,000 people learn how to earn supplemental income through Airbnb.

“I began sharing my home on Airbnb in 2017 to help pay my mortgage. Since then, hosting has transformed my life and I’ve become a Superhost Ambassador to help others start their hosting journeys. I’m deeply passionate about the mission of the Entrepreneurship Academy, which champions self-reliance and collaborates with organizations to foster economic opportunities in underrepresented communities. Through the Academy, I share tips from my own hosting experience and support others in finding their path to success.”

—Dolly Duran, Airbnb host and Superhost Ambassador

Most recently, we expanded the Academy in the US by partnering with organizations like Chicanos Por La Causa and Servicios de La Raza, alongside Operation HOPE, United Spinal Association, National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB), and National Disability Institute (NDI).

Thanks in part to these efforts, we’ve seen more communities use Airbnb to earn extra money and help them afford to buy or stay in their home. A recent survey showed that 60 percent of US Hispanics are more likely to consider hosting through Airbnb compared to 49 percent of non-Hispanics. And in 2023, the number of hosts on Airbnb that chose Spanish as their primary language in the United States grew by 13 percent.