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Airbnb.org offers emergency housing to over 100 families displaced by Putra Heights fires in Malaysia

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Key Takeaways

  • Airbnb.org is providing free, emergency housing for people who have been displaced by the Putra Heights wildfires in Selangor, Malaysia.
  • The organization has partnered with the Selangor State Government, with support from HostPlatform, a short-stay management platform, to connect people with a free place to stay.

Key Takeaways

  • Airbnb.org is providing free, emergency housing for people who have been displaced by the Putra Heights wildfires in Selangor, Malaysia.
  • The organization has partnered with the Selangor State Government, with support from HostPlatform, a short-stay management platform, to connect people with a free place to stay.

To support residents who have been displaced from their homes or forced to evacuate by the Putra Heights fires, Airbnb.org is working with the Selangor State Government, with support from HostPlatform, a short-stay management platform, to offer free, temporary housing in Selangor, Malaysia. Stays are completely free for guests and are funded by Airbnb.org. 

How it works

Airbnb.org is partnering with the Selangor State Government, who are identifying residents in need of emergency housing and helping to connect them to free Airbnb.org stays for up to 30 days. They are specifically focused on residents who have either lost their home or been forced to evacuate from the affected neighbourhoods of Taman Putra Harmoni and Kampung Kuala Sungai Baru. The stays will provide evacuees temporary housing as they work with the Selangor State Government to secure longer-term housing.

Y.A.B Dato’ Seri Haji Amirudin Shari, Chief Minister of Selangor shared:

“It is heartening to see the community come together in times of need. It is through moments of crisis which shines the light on the unrivalled empathy, resilience, and togetherness of Selangorians.

I am thoroughly pleased that Airbnb.org was one of the first groups to step forward to partner with the State Government of Selangor to offer displaced residents in relief centres access to safer, better-quality housing at no charge for one month.

To date, over 100 families affected by the Putra Heights fire have signed up to accept Airbnb.org’s generous offer, and this will allow some breathing room for the residents as they attempt to put their lives back together, while the State and Federal Government can expend our efforts to rebuild the homes and infrastructure damaged in this tragic incident.”

HostPlatform, has also committed RM 100K in donations to Airbnb.org to provide additional support for the victims of the Putra Heights fires. HostPlatform has also extended their support on-site, assisting evacuees with the booking of the free Airbnb.org stays. 

“We’re proud to support the Selangor State Government and Airbnb.org by mobilizing our network of hosts to help those impacted by the Putra Heights fires find a place to call home during this challenging time,” said Jayden Lee, Chief Executive Officer, HostPlatform.

Airbnb.org is a nonprofit founded by Airbnb that provides free emergency housing in times of crisis. Airbnb.org has provided more than 1.6 million nights of emergency stays for more than 250,000 people. Airbnb.org partners with nonprofits and governments to identify those impacted by disasters, and is able to offer free stays because of funding from Airbnb, private donations, and Airbnb hosts who offer their homes for free or at a discount.

How to help

Hosts on Airbnb may choose to host Airbnb.org stays for free or at a discount. Airbnb waives all service fees for Airbnb.org stays. Participating hosts receive an Airbnb.org supporter badge on their profiles to recognize their contributions and help spread the word to our community. Also, hosts can choose to donate a percentage of each payout to Airbnb.org, which goes to helping more people find emergency housing in times of crisis.

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 and experiences 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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