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The online accommodation rental platform said it would offer free, short-term housing for Ukrainians escaping war in their homeland.
Airbnb has promised to provide up to 100,000 Ukrainian war refugees with free, short-term accommodation.
The refugees’ stays will be funded by Airbnb itself as well as donors to its Airbnb refugee fund. Hosts who use the accommodation rental platform have been encouraged by the company to open their houses for Ukrainians fleeing the war.
The organisation has made several efforts through its charitable arm Airbnb.org to house refugees from other war-torn countries in recent years, including Syria, Venezuela and Afghanistan.
Today’s (28 February) news comes following the company’s earlier announcement that it had provided safe housing to more than 20,000 Afghan refugees. It initially made the commitment to shelter Afghan refugees last August.
Airbnb.org works with international governments and other NGOs to give refugees access to safe temporary accommodation. Its $25m refugee fund has received contributions from around 4,000 donors since its launch last year.
Earlier today, the company’s executive team members Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia and Nathan Blecharczyk sent letters to leaders across Europe, starting with the leaders of Poland, Germany, Hungary and Romania, offering support in welcoming refugees within their borders.
1. Airbnb and https://t.co/enqjlQB0rH are working with our Hosts to house up to 100,000 refugees fleeing from Ukraine, for free
— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) February 28, 2022
The company said it has connected more than 54,000 refugees and asylum seekers to temporary housing through their partners over the last five years.
The company has also worked with NGOs throughout the pandemic. It provided free accommodation to healthcare workers and first responders in partnership with the NHS in the UK and other organisations in the EU and US.
Refugees leaving Ukraine who need immediate assistance can access it through the UN Refugee Agency.
Airbnb and Airbnb.org said they would provide further details to hosts and others interested in offering assistance over the coming days.
Other tech sector organisations such as Google, Facebook, Twitter and SpaceX, joined the rental accommodations provider, launching their own efforts to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.
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