Airbnb.org Program Offers Free, Temporary Housing to Disaster Victims People around the world, including existing Hosts on Airbnb, can open their homes to those displaced by disasters
New York, NY
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August 17, 2021 05:05 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Communities across the US are in the midst of hurricane and wildfire season. When disasters like this strike, many people find themselves in need of temporary housing and space to figure out what’s next. Airbnb.org’s emergency response program helps connect people to temporary places to stay in times of need. Recently, Kristen Berlacher, the Head of Airbnb.org Programs, teamed with YourUpdateTV on a satellite media tour to discuss this initiative and share tips on how to be better prepared for disasters and how to help impacted communities.
A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://youtu.be/OD7JPciKRbE
The inspiration for Airbnb.org began in 2012 with a single host named Shell who opened up her home to people impacted by Hurricane Sandy. This sparked a movement and marked the beginning of a program that allows hosts on Airbnb to provide stays for people in times of need.
Since 2012, the program has responded to hundreds of disasters and helped find temporary housing for evacuees and relief workers around the world. Airbnb helped people in times of crisis through the Open Homes initiative. Airbnb.org, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is the next chapter.
The program has evolved to focus on emergency response and to help provide stays to evacuees, relief workers, refugees and asylum seekers, and most recently, frontline workers fighting the spread of COVID-19.
How it Works:
Airbnb.org will allow hosts on Airbnb to provide free and discounted stays to people impacted by emergencies, including the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters. These stays, which provide alternative accommodation and shelter options, are especially helpful to government and nonprofit partners in a year where the COVID-19 pandemic has made housing vulnerable people in traditional congregate shelters extremely challenging.
Hosts who support Airbnb.org by offering free stays or making recurring donations will receive a special badge on their profile to recognize their generosity and commitment to communities in need.
Anyone who finds joy in helping others, who believes in kindness and is interested in helping by opening their homes or donating to this cause, can learn more at airbnb.org/join
About KRISTEN BERLACHER:
As Head of Airbnb.org Programs, Kristen leads a global team that supports Airbnb.org’s efforts to help people impacted by natural disasters, refugees and frontline responders fighting the spread of COVID- 19. With a background in tech-enabled social impact, philanthropy and nonprofit management, Kristen, as an employee of Airbnb, oversees strategic partnerships, government relations, response operations and community engagement for Airbnb.org with the goal of leveraging Airbnb’s unique assets to provide innovative housing solutions and livelihood opportunities for vulnerable populations around the globe. Prior to Airbnb, Kristen led Hyatt Hotel Corporation’s global philanthropy programs focused on economic empowerment, disaster response and employee volunteerism. Before Hyatt, Kristen served as Deputy Director for Working in the Schools, a nonprofit focused on literacy programming for vulnerable youth. Kristen holds a BA in Leadership Studies from the University of Richmond, VA
About Airbnb.org:
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. The inspiration for Airbnb.org began in 2012 with a single host named Shell who opened up her home to people impacted by Hurricane Sandy. This sparked a movement and marked the beginning of a programme that allows Hosts on Airbnb to provide stays for people in times of need. Since then, the programme has evolved to focus on emergency response and to help provide stays to evacuees, relief workers, refugees, asylum seekers, and most recently, frontline workers fighting the spread of COVID-19. Since then, Hosts have offered to open up their homes and helped provide accommodations to 75,000 people in times of need. Airbnb.org is a separate and independent entity from Airbnb, Inc. Airbnb, Inc. does not charge service fees for Airbnb.org supported stays on its platform.
About YourUpdateTV:
YourUpdateTV is a social media video portal for organizations to share their content. It includes separate channels for Health and Wellness, Lifestyle, Media and Entertainment, Money and Finance, Social Responsibility, Sports and Technology.
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