Unfortunate circumstances have led to countless people being displaced from their homes. More often than not, it's a result of an ongoing war, which is still happening in Ukraine and Afghanistan. To help those who are affected, Airbnb has created an initiative to find temporary homes.
Airbnb's Mission to Provide Homes
World Refugee Day had just passed and in addition to Airbnb's already existing efforts to support refugees, the company is conducting a $2 million Sponsorship Initiative to help Airbnb.org continue its work to provide shelter to newcomers in the US.
The company is working with several organizations and hosts since December 2020, and so far, the efforts have already helped almost 200,000 people by placing them in temporary homes for free. More than 135,000 of the refugees were from Ukraine.
The $2 Million Sponsorship Initiative was a contribution from The Shapiro Foundation, which offers grants for housing support, as well as help with fundraising efforts for nonprofit organizations that aim to help refugees.
As for Airbnb.org's Refugee Fund which was launched in 2021, an additional $1 million will be distributed as grants and direct vouchers to asylum seekers and refugees as a way of assisting nonprofits and local government agencies in providing their needs in the US and Latin America.
Sadly, It's not only countries like Ukraine and Afghanistan that are impacted by wars. Vast numbers come from the mentioned countries with more than 34,000 coming from Afghanistan. Over 30,000 displaced are from other countries like Syria and Venezuela.
One of the participating hosts, Mary, has opened her doors in Berlin to people affected by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. She listed her apartment, free of charge, and hosted four guests who were forced out of their homes as the war raged on.
Despite the huge help that Airbnb has given with its initiatives, there are still millions of people who had to leave their homes due to the wars. An estimate from the UNHCR says that 100 million people left their homes as of 2022, with 37 million of which are refugees and asylum seekers.
Ukraine War Increased Rate of Displacement
Reports say that the war in Ukraine caused a huge rate increase in the displacement of people by 21%, which has been the biggest rise in decades. Many were forced to leave their homes due to persecution, conflict, violence, and human rights violations.
UN high commissioner for refugees, Filippo Grandi says that the figures show how people are quick to rush to conflict but are too slow to find solutions, as mentioned in The Guardian. As a result, people are devastated and displaced.
By late 2022, more than 11.6 million displaced Ukrainians still haven't found a place to stay, including the 5.7 million who had already fled to neighboring countries. 5.9 million were still inside the borders of Ukraine without a roof over their heads.
The number of people needing shelter will likely increase given that the wars are not over. It is estimated to have risen to 110 million on May 2023, especially with Russia's war with Ukraine and one in Sudan being the biggest contributor to the tragedies.
