The term “home sharing” is used by at least 70 nonprofit agencies in the United States that provide permanent housing solutions for seniors and low-wage earners. In San Mateo County, HIP Housing has been using the term for at least 35 years in its mission to provide legitimate affordable housing options for the people who need them most. But now, San Francisco-based Airbnb is using the term and HIP Housing’s Executive Director Kate Comfort Harr is worried the company’s new marketing campaign will only exacerbate the area’s escalating housing crisis. Rents have climbed in the county by 50 percent in the past four years. The unintended consequences of Airbnb’s business practices are still being discovered, she said. HIP has already lost one of its 350 providers to Airbnb and is about to lose another, she said. “Just losing one does a disservice to the community,” Harr said. While San Francisco has adopted rules to regulate companies such as Airbnb, a November ballot measure in the city is calling for even more restrictions against vacation rentals in private homes. They include limiting the number of overnight stays any resident may have to 75 nights a year. Airbnb is fighting the ballot measure which San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee has also come out against. Companies such as Airbnb, however, are not restricted in San Mateo County but Harr thinks they should be. “There is good reason to be pre-emptive. They should operate under the same standards hotels do. The sooner these policies are in place, the better off we are,” Harr said. So far in this county, only the San Mateo City Council has looked into taxing individuals who’ve turned their homes into short-term vacation rentals. The council took up the issue in March and discussed ways to capture the lost tax revenue and whether other regulations are needed related to safety and parking. Earlier this month, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors approved a $300,000 expenditure to support HIP Housing’s home-sharing program. The money for HIP Housing, which matches those who have space in their homes with those who need an affordable place to live, will go toward hiring a community outreach specialist and the funding of a marketing campaign. More than 90 percent of individuals using HIP’s home-sharing program qualify as low- to- extremely-low income and 60 percent of the providers are seniors aging in place. HIP provides housing through the program to 350 people a year. Without the county’s contribution, HIP Housing could not compete in any way with Airbnb, Harr said. The company is now valued at more than $25 billion. Founded in 2008, Airbnb has been used by 25 million people in more than 34,000 cities spread across 190 countries. “Home sharing is an economic lifeline for thousands of Bay Area families who depend on the extra income to stay in their homes. We are proud of the impact our community’s contribution to the Bay Area, driving almost $470 million in economic activity over the last year alone in the city of San Francisco,” Airbnb spokesman Christopher Nulty wrote the Daily Journal in an email. The company contends it helps people make ends meet who need the flexibility of a short-term visitor versus long-term tenant. The company also has safety mechanisms to protect both the host and guest. HIP, however, conducts criminal background checks, quarterly check-ins and looks for signs of elder abuse. “Airbnb is not bad by nature. It’s just so debilitating here where we have so little housing,” Harr said. Most of HIP’s housing providers are seniors, about 60 percent, who are cash poor and housing rich, she said. Airbnb’s claim that it is helping seniors age in place is the same one HIP and home-sharing providers all over the country have made for decades. Airbnb creates a challenge in San Mateo County because of all the jobs being created here without the creation of new housing, according to HIP. The nonprofit is hoping that Airbnb would stop convoluting the term “home sharing” and that it be recognized what a disservice is being done to the community whenever a room, unit or guest quarters that could be permanent housing for someone who already lives, works or goes to school in the county is lost to vacation rentals. bill@smdailyjournal.com (650) 344-5200 ext. 102
Airbnb likes to describe what they do as " home sharing " however more than 70 American non - profits are changing their use of this term . HIP Housing , a nonprofit , has been using the phrase " home sharing " for 35 years to provide affordable housing in disadvantaged communities by matching residents who have space in their homes with those who need an affordable place to live , however they are now losing rooms to rent . HIP wants Airbnb to stop " diluting " the term " home sharing " and recognize that when the company takes a room as a vacation rental , the community potentially loses permanent housing for someone in need .