Airbnb.org and Airbnb have been supporting refugees and other displaced people for almost a decade in coordination with non-profit partners. In August, Airbnb.org announced it would provide temporary housing to 20,000 Afghan refugees worldwide. The cost of these stays are funded by contributions to Airbnb.org by Airbnb and Airbnb CEO and co-founder Brian Chesky, as well as donors to the Airbnb.org Refugee Fund.
Airbnb.org is working with all nine major US resettlement agencies and other Afghan-led community partners to provide temporary stays to Afghan refugees. Airbnb.org will continue to collaborate with resettlement agencies and partners to go where the need goes, and evolve this initiative and support as necessary.
Airbnb.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to facilitating temporary stays for people in times of crisis around the world. Airbnb.org operates independently and leverages Airbnb, Inc.’s technology, services, and other resources at no charge to carry out Airbnb.org’s charitable purpose.
Over the past four years, Airbnb.org and Airbnb have connected approximately 25,000 refugees – including hundreds participating in the US Special Immigrant Visa Program – to temporary housing. Earlier this year, Airbnb.org announced the creation of the $25 million Refugee Fund, to further expand Airbnb.org’s support of refugees and asylum seekers worldwide.
When it became abundantly clear that the displacement and resettlement of Afghan refugees here in the United States and elsewhere represented a significant humanitarian crisis – Airbnb.org announced it would provide temporary housing to 20,000 Afghan refugees worldwide.
To meet this goal, Airbnb.org is working closely with all nine US resettlement agencies – including longtime partners such as the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Church World Service (CWS) and HIAS, as well as Afghan-led organizations like Women for Afghan Women.
In addition, Airbnb Co-Founder and CEO Brian Chesky and Airbnb co-founder and Chairman of Airbnb.org Joe Gebbia met with representatives from these partner organizations and US Under Secretary of State for Civilian, Security, Democracy and Human Rights, Uzra Zeya, in Washington, DC to thank them, learn more about the challenges they are seeing on the ground, and to better understand how Airbnb.org can continue to help meet this moment.
Gebbia committed to ensuring Airbnb.org is embedded within the US resettlement infrastructure and exploring new programs such as community sponsorship, and Chesky committed to rallying more Hosts to open their homes at a time when housing is critical.
In coordination with its partners, Airbnb.org has helped place more than 900 Afghan refugees in temporary housing across the US, including in Sacramento, Seattle, Jersey City, Denver and Dallas. Resettlement agencies expect bookings will increase as more Afghan evacuees move off military bases and into communities where they will resettle.
Airbnb and Airbnb.org have been supporting refugees and other displaced people for almost a decade and we look forward to continuing to provide support to Afghan refugees in close coordination with our partners over the coming months and years ahead.
