In times of crisis and disaster, Airbnb partners with government agencies and regional disaster relief organizations to connect Airbnb hosts with evacuees and emergency responders, free of charge. In response to the growing threat of Hurricane Michael, Airbnb has activated the Open Homes program, our platform to provide free temporary housing to people displaced by natural disasters, conflict and illness.
The program has been activated in:
Florida
- Greater Jacksonville area
- All of Central Florida (including Orange, Osceola, Polk, Brevard, Seminole, Volusia, Marion, Lake, Sumter counties)
- Greater Gainesville area
- Greater Tampa area
Alabama
- Greater Mobile area
- Greater Montgomery area
- Greater Dothan area
- Greater Auburn/Opelika area
- Greater Savannah area
Georgia
- Greater Atlanta area
- Greater Savannah area
- Greater Columbus area
- Greater Macon area
- Greater Brunswick area (including Camden, Clinch and Wayne counties)
Hosts in these areas can provide housing – free of charge – to storm evacuees and emergency relief workers from now through October 29, 2018. As the need becomes more apparent after landfall, Airbnb will continue to expand the territory of Open Homes listings if and where needed, or as requested by local officials.
The idea for Airbnb’s disaster relief program came from an Airbnb host in Brooklyn in 2012 in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, and has since grown into a global disaster response initiative that makes it easy for Airbnb hosts to provide space for people in need when disasters strike. To date, the disaster response and relief team has responded to over 300 disasters worldwide and during Hurricane Florence last month, roughly a thousand evacuees and emergency responders were housed by the Open Homes community.
If you have an extra room in your home or are in need of temporary housing yourself, please visit https://www.airbnb.com/hurricanemichael to sign up or learn more about the program.