Airbnb offering free temporary housing for up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees

By Jennifer Korn, CNN Business

Airbnb is offering free short-term housing for up to 100,000 Ukrainians who have been displaced by the war with Russia, the company announced Monday.

The stays will be funded by donations to the Airbnb.org Refugee Fund as well as with help from hosts on the platform.

Brian Chesky, Airbnb’s cofounder and CEO, called for people to open their homes in Poland, Germany, Hungary and Romania as more Ukrainians flee the conflict in their home country.

Chesky and two other Airbnb officials sent letters to European leaders of nations bordering Ukraine to offer Airbnb’s support with housing refugees, the company said. While the stays are temporary, the company said it “will work closely with governments to best support the specific needs in each country, including by providing longer-term stays.”

Some Ukrainians who need housing may not currently have access to devices or internet traditionally required to book lodging on the platform. Airbnb said it will work with “nonprofits on the ground, who are responsible for booking and coordinating stays for refugee guests, regardless of nationality, race, ethnicity, or how they identify.”

The rental platform’s refugee housing is part of Airbnb.org, an independent nonprofit organization that it launched in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy that works to provide temporary housing for those in crisis. Last week, Airbnb.org announced that it will provide 21,300 Afghan refugees with short-term housing solutions.

More than 500,000 Ukrainian refugees have entered surrounding countries over the last four days as the Russian invasion escalates. The European Union is asking member nations to grant temporary asylum to all arriving Ukrainians for up to three years, according to EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson.

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