Airbnb CEO’s inspirational move to provide free housing for 20,000 Afghan refugees

The booming online homes and experiences rental hub, Airbnb has pledged to provide free housing for 20,000 Afghan refugees.

CEO Brian Chesky said on Tuesday that the program would take immediate effect and that Airbnb would pay for the stays. The cost of this will be funded through contributions to Airbnb.org from Airbnb and Brian Chesky, as well as donors to the Airbnb.org Refugee Fund.

Tech Lead at Airbnb, Zach Wilson announced on LinkedIn saying “it’s stuff like this that makes me feel like I’m doing good work!”.  This is evidence that Airbnb has not only boosted the morale of its customer’s, but the employees are hugely proud to be working for the generous company.

Facilitating temporary stays for people in moments of crisis is nothing new to Airbnb. In a recent press release, Airbnb brought to light that they have helped to shelter those evacuated by natural disasters and offered countless places to stay and peace of mind to frontline workers at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As tens of thousands of Afghan refugees resettle around the world, where they stay will be the first chapter in their new lives. For these 20,000 refugees, my hope is that the Airbnb community will provide them with not only a safe place to rest and start over but also a warm welcome home.

Brian Chesky, Airbnb CEO, and co-founder

Yesterday’s announcement comes a week after Airbnb gave emergency funding and support to the International Rescue Committee (IRC), HIAS and Church World Service to deliver instant temporary stays via the Airbnb platform for up to 1,000 arriving Afghan refugees. Over this past weekend, Airbnb.org worked with partners to arrange 165 refugees in safe housing shortly after arriving in the US.

This is a great opportunity for other companies to take inspiration to help as best as they can, going above and beyond is the motto for Chesky. Will you make it yours?