Airbnb offering free housing to Hurricane Dorian evacuees and relief workers
Airbnb has launched its “Open Homes Program,” which provides free housing to displaced residents and disaster relief workers impacted by Hurricane Dorian. The program is available through Sept. 16.
More than 800 Airbnb hosts have opened their doors in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Alabama. You can check available listings here.
As of Monday morning, more than 30 Airbnb locations around Florida were available, the bulk of them in areas out of Hurricane Dorian’s projected path. Available locations include St. Petersburg, Tampa, Tallahasse and Miami-Dade.
“Airbnb’s Open Homes Program continues to be activated for those affected by Hurricane Dorian across the southeast U.S. region,” said Kellie Bentz, Airbnb’s head of global disaster response and relief. “We encourage hosts to open up their homes, and those who need housing to take advantage of the program.”
Airbnb began the program in 2012 in the wake of Hurricane Sandy and has grown exponentially. Hosts volunteer to list their properties — which would be empty during a hurricane anyway — on the platform. The number of listings is expected to grow as Dorian approaches the U.S. mainland.
This story was originally published September 2, 2019 at 9:09 AM.
_pp%20Cropped.jpg)