Airbnb.org’s impact in 2022

Hosts worldwide helped house over 140,000 people displaced by crises this year.
By Airbnb on Dec 6, 2022
5 min video
Updated Dec 6, 2022

Highlights

  • More people in times of crisis received free, temporary housing than ever before

  • Efforts focused on Ukraine and Afghanistan and also supported families in the U.S. and Latin America

  • This work is made possible by the generosity of Hosts and donors

2022 was a record-setting year for Airbnb.org. Working with Hosts and humanitarian organizations worldwide, the nonprofit connected over 140,000 people with free temporary stays. That’s more than in the previous nine years combined.

The generosity of Hosts and donors helped support:

  • Refugees who fled Ukraine after Russia invaded
  • Refugees from Afghanistan who arrived in North America
  • Families displaced across Latin America by political and economic instability
  • Communities in the U.S. impacted by Hurricanes Ian and Fiona

Airbnb.org is a nonprofit organization that operates independently of Airbnb. The inspiration for it began in 2012, when a Host opened her home to people impacted by Hurricane Sandy. Over the past decade, its work has evolved to help provide stays to evacuees, relief workers, refugees, asylum seekers, and frontline workers fighting the spread of COVID-19.

After Russia invaded in February 2022, more than 6 million people left Ukraine in search of safety. It was the largest movement of refugees across Europe since World War II.

Airbnb.org committed to finding temporary housing for 100,000 of them. Donations came in from 95 countries, and tens of thousands of Hosts signed up to offer housing for free or at a discount. The outpouring of support allowed Airbnb.org to join forces with organizations all over Europe and North America to connect refugees with places to stay.

Serving historically marginalized communities

Crises disproportionately affect historically marginalized populations. In 2022, Airbnb.org persisted in its efforts to serve these communities.

For example, Black Women for Black Lives and Global Empowerment Mission worked with Airbnb.org to support African students who’d been studying in Ukraine. Some government agencies didn’t consider foreign students to be refugees, and many of the students encountered racism when trying to leave Ukraine and access resources in other countries.

Another partner, Organization for Refuge, Asylum, and Migration (ORAM), focused on LGBTQ+ refugees from Ukraine who faced discrimination. In Berlin, ORAM connected Dima, a gay man from Kiev, with Mary, an American in Berlin who’d listed her apartment through Airbnb.org. Mary provided a safe space for Dima once he arrived in Germany (as described in the video above).

Providing innovative support

Many other humanitarian organizations offered Airbnb.org stays as part of their work, including:

  • HIAS in Ecuador supports people like Daniela, whose family fled violence in Colombia. HIAS connects them with Hosts like Mery, who lives in a Quito neighborhood where many refugees settle. HIAS offers training on how to host people who have experienced trauma, as well as support during their stays.
  • Community Sponsorship Hub, the first U.S. organization dedicated solely to expanding community sponsorship of refugees. Through the Sponsor Circle Program, it worked with neighbors in various cities to welcome Afghan and Ukrainian newcomers.
  • Insight Ukraine, an LGBTQ+ human rights organization, helped thousands of people get out of Ukraine and access housing, mental health care, and LGBTQ+-inclusive doctors as they resettled.
  • Münchner Freiwillige set up aid stations for people arriving in Munich from Ukraine, helping them get a wide variety of services, including housing.

To the Hosts, donors, and partners who have joined this global movement to extend belonging in times of crisis, thank you.

Information contained in this article may have changed since publication.

Highlights

  • More people in times of crisis received free, temporary housing than ever before

  • Efforts focused on Ukraine and Afghanistan and also supported families in the U.S. and Latin America

  • This work is made possible by the generosity of Hosts and donors

Airbnb
Dec 6, 2022
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