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Airbnb.org supporting those displaced by River Ridge apartment fire

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Key Takeaways

  • Airbnb.org is providing free, emergency housing to people impacted by the apartment fire in River Ridge, Louisiana.
  • Airbnb.org is working with VIA LINK to identify individuals most in need of emergency housing and connect them to a free place to stay.

Key Takeaways

  • Airbnb.org is providing free, emergency housing to people impacted by the apartment fire in River Ridge, Louisiana.
  • Airbnb.org is working with VIA LINK to identify individuals most in need of emergency housing and connect them to a free place to stay.

To support those impacted by the July 18 apartment fire in River Ridge, Louisiana, Airbnb.org—a nonprofit founded by Airbnb to provide emergency housing in times of crisis—is working with nonprofit organization VIA LINK, as well as state and local officials to offer free, emergency housing to displaced residents. Stays are completely free for guests and are funded by Airbnb.org and the generosity of donors.

How it works

Airbnb.org works with local organizations to help identify those in greatest need of emergency housing. Local nonprofit VIA LINK is identifying residents from the River Ridge apartment fire most in need of free, temporary housing and is referring them to Airbnb.org. Impacted individuals are then granted credits from Airbnb.org to book an Airbnb stay that meets their needs—often close to their workplaces, schools, or support networks. Impacted residents in need of emergency housing can call 2-1-1 and let the Contact Center Specialist know they lost their home in the River Ridge fire.

“We are so grateful for this partnership with Airbnb.org to support families with free emergency housing, helping them to get back on their feet after this devastating apartment fire. We first partnered with Airbnb.org to house 18 families during Hurricane Francine and are pleased to expand our partnership to offer temporary housing after disasters. This is something we have never been able to do before and is a real game changer, not only for VIA LINK, but also for the individuals and families in crisis that our agency seeks to serve.” 

LaVondra Dobbs, CEO of VIA LINK

Airbnb.org is a nonprofit organization founded by Airbnb that connects people to emergency housing in times of crisis. Airbnb.org uses the Airbnb platform to connect people who need a place to stay with Airbnb hosts willing to share theirs. 100 percent of all donations go directly to providing emergency housing in times of crisis. Since its founding in 2020, Airbnb.org has provided 1.6 million nights of free, temporary housing to more than 250,000 people.

Most recently, Airbnb.org offered free, temporary housing to people displaced by flooding in Central Texas, tornadoes in Kentucky, wildfires in Los Angeles and Jasper, Canada, Hurricanes Milton and Helene in Florida, floods in Brazil, and the earthquake in Japan’s Noto Peninsula. 

Note: Airbnb.org does not offer housing directly to individuals at this time. Those impacted and in need of emergency housing can call 2-1-1 and let the Contact Center Specialist know they lost their home in the River Ridge fire.

How to help

Anyone interested in supporting those impacted by the fire in River Ridge and other crises can visit Airbnb.org to do the following:

  • Sign up to offer discounted stays as an Airbnb.org host. Airbnb waives all service fees for Airbnb.org hosts and guests. Hosts who sign up to share their home through Airbnb.org receive damage protection and liability insurance with AirCover for each booking.
  • Donate to Airbnb.org. 100% of donations help impacted people and first responders access free, emergency housing during disasters. 
Read more about: Airbnb.org

About VIA LINK

VIA LINK provides crisis support, connects people to resources and services, and provides vital data and trend information to ensure policies and programs meet community needs.  VIA LINK supports their community through the 2-1-1 health and human services 24/7 helpline, various crisis lines which includes 9-8-8 and VIA LINK’s Teen Crisis Textline (833-TXT-TEEN), and their online Resource Directory available through non-profits in southeast Louisiana. To learn more about VIA LINK’s programs, resources, and data dashboards, please visit their website at www.vialink.org. 

About Airbnb

Airbnb was born in 2007 when two hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 5 million hosts who have welcomed over 2 billion guest arrivals in almost every country across the globe. Every day, hosts offer unique stays, experiences, and services that make it possible for guests to connect with communities in a more authentic way.

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 program that allows hosts on Airbnb to provide stays for people in times of need. Since then, the program has evolved to focus on emergency response and to help provide stays to evacuees, relief workers, refugees, asylum seekers, and frontline workers fighting the spread of COVID-19. Since then, hosts have offered to open up their homes and helped provide accommodations to 100,000 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.

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