On Tuesday, Airbnb and Airbnb.org said that the firm’s non-profit arm will provide temporary housing to 20,000 Afghan refugees worldwide, and the cost of this will be funded through contributions to Airbnb.org from Airbnb and co-founder Brian Chesky, as well as donors to the Airbnb.org Refugee Fund.
Airbnb.org is a nonprofit organization that aims to aid in the temporary stays for people in the situation of crisis. It has safely allocated shelter to people stranded in natural disasters and mishaps and has additionally offered shelter to frontline workers during the surging phase of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Starting today, Airbnb will begin housing 20,000 Afghan refugees globally for free,” said Chesky in a tweet. “The displacement and resettlement of Afghan refugees in the US and elsewhere are one of the biggest humanitarian crises of our time. We feel a responsibility to step up,” he further added.
“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,” the company said in a statement.
In the previous week, Airbnb.org endorsed the International Rescue Committee (IRC), HIAS and Church World Service by providing funds to enable the immediate temporary stays set-up via the Airbnb platform for around 1,000 refugees evacuated from Afghanistan.
Over the past weekend, Airbnb.org worked with partners to place 165 refugees in safe housing shortly after touching down in the US, the firm added.
