Airbnb’s next big bet: 1 million free nights a year for people in crisis
Susan Bailey still vividly remembers the first time she hosted a family in need of emergency housing. It was 2017, and she had just renovated a property near her home in Colorado with the idea of adding it to her growing portfolio of Airbnb rentals. One evening, she got a call out of the blue from someone at Airbnb Open Homes, as Airbnb’s program for housing people in crisis was then known. “It…
In 2017, Susan Bailey, an Airbnb host in Colorado, welcomed a refugee family from Iraq into her property, marking the beginning of her involvement with Airbnb's emergency housing program. This marked the start of Bailey's role as a host for families facing various crises, including wildfires and other disasters. In 2020, Airbnb formalized the creation of Airbnb.org, an independent nonprofit, to manage its emergency housing initiatives.
Today, Airbnb.org formalizes its commitment by allocating a portion of each Airbnb booking's revenue to provide free, temporary stays. Over the next five years, Airbnb plans to provide $500 million in funding for 1 million nights of emergency housing annually, covering crises such as disasters and medical travel. Brian Chesky, Airbnb's CEO, believes the time is right to scale up these efforts, given the company's operational capacity.
In 2023 alone, Airbnb.org responded to eight crises globally, including wildfires in Los Angeles and Turkey. The organization has also signed partnerships with nonprofits like 211 LA to expand its reach during disasters. Despite facing challenges like price gouging accusations, Airbnb.org continues to leverage technology to scale emergency housing assistance globally.
Written by urgent.news from Fast Company's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
