Governor Green and Airbnb.org announce housing support for Maui.
Key Takeaways
Airbnb.org will provide free, temporary stays for at least 1,000 people displaced by the wildfires in Maui.
Airbnb.org will work with nonprofit organizations like Maui Economic Opportunity and Global Empowerment Mission to connect people to stays.
Governor Josh Green, M.D. and Airbnb.org have announced a commitment to provide free, temporary stays for at least 1,000 people displaced by the Maui wildfires. Airbnb.org will work with its network of Airbnb Hosts and organizations in the state of Hawai?i to connect people to temporary housing in the coming days and weeks.
We are so incredibly appreciative of the outpouring of community support for Maui in offering their properties to house those deeply affected by the Maui fires. This is aloha in action.
Governor Green
With thousands in need of temporary housing following the devastating wildfires in Maui, Airbnb.org will work with nonprofit organizations like Maui Economic Opportunity to connect people with temporary housing. Airbnb.org is an independent 501(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to facilitating temporary stays for people in times of crisis.
Since the fires began, Airbnb.org has been in close conversations with Governor Green, the Hawai?i State Department of Human Services, and the Hawai?i Emergency Management Agency to assess needs on the ground and determine how best to provide support. Based on the guidance received, Airbnb.org is working to connect people impacted by the wildfires with emergency stays in parts of Maui and the surrounding areas that are deemed safe. These stays are funded by Airbnb, Inc., donors to Airbnb.org, and the generosity of Airbnb.org Hosts.
How it will work
Stays for people in need of temporary housing will be facilitated by Airbnb staff volunteers, Maui Economic Opportunity (MEO), Global Empowerment Mission (GEM), and other trusted nonprofits and government entities, who will review the eligibility of potential guests and help connect them with stays.
We are so grateful for our collaboration with Airbnb.org. We've been on the ground in Maui since day 2 of the historic fires. The most important need here is housing. This short-term housing program gives families an ability to leave shelters and start the stabilization and healing process for the next phase of their lives.
Michael Capponi, Founder and President, Global Empowerment Mission
How to help
Governor Green and Airbnb.org urge compassionate people interested in supporting this effort to:
Offer a place to stay: Anyone with a home or spare room in the state of Hawai?i can make it available to survivors for free or at a discount by signing up with Airbnb.org.
Donate to Airbnb.org: You can also donate to Airbnb.org and help fund emergency stays. 100 percent of donations go toward covering the cost of temporary stays for survivors of the wildfires and other crises.
Affected residents
Airbnb.org does not currently accept requests from individuals for direct emergency assistance. All stays for displaced residents will be coordinated through Airbnb.org's network of trusted nonprofits and government entities.
The commitment in Maui is part of Airbnb.org's work to support communities impacted by natural disasters and large-scale crises around the world.
To learn more about Airbnb.org and how to support survivors of the Maui wildfires, visit airbnb.org/maui_fires.
About Airbnb
Airbnb was born in 2007 when two Hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 4 million Hosts who have welcomed more than 1 billion guest arrivals across over 220 countries and regions. Travel on Airbnb keeps more of the financial benefits of tourism with the people and places that make it happen. Airbnb has generated billions of dollars in earnings for Hosts, most of whom are individuals listing the homes in which they live. Among Hosts who report their gender, more than half are women, and one in five employed Hosts are either teachers or healthcare workers. Travel on Airbnb also has generated more than $4 billion in tax revenue around the world. Airbnb has helped advance more than 1,000 regulatory frameworks for short-term rentals, including in 80% of our top 200 geographies. In late 2020, to support our continued expansion and diversification, we launched the City Portal to provide governments with a one-stop shop that supports data sharing and compliance with local registration rules. We continue to invest in innovations and tools to support our ongoing work with governments around the world to advance travel that best serves communities.
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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