Convoy of Hope Partners With Airbnb to Provide Emergency Housing in Australia
When disaster strikes and a family loses their home, some have friends and family they can stay with. But what about the ones who have nowhere else to go? Or when they just need a safe place to land for a few nights until they can make arrangements?
Earlier this year, Cyclone Alfred moved through Queensland and northern New South Wales, bringing significant rainfall and flash flooding. Water levels in some areas reached 15 inches in less than a day. Roughly 270,000 homes and businesses were affected.
“It’s sad, but we’re all alive, we’re safe, and we will rebuild in a year or two,” said resident Renata Brunton.
A family in Tugun narrowly escaped disaster when a massive tree crashed through their home, landing directly in their main bedroom. The family’s quick thinking and concerns about the tree before it fell led them to leave their home and seek refuge in the husband’s business. Had they stayed, the family would have faced serious injury or loss of life.
Still, their house was uninhabitable. But thanks to Convoy of Hope’s partnership with Airbnb, the family had a safe and dry place to go. The family stayed at a nearby Airbnb for several days at no charge until more permanent accommodations could be found.
And they’re not the only ones. Because of Airbnb’s generous partnership with Convoy of Hope, nearly 100 people had a safe place to stay amid the chaos caused by Cyclone Alfred.
We couldn’t do the work we do around the world without partnerships with businesses like Airbnb. It’s our incredible partners that make the wheels turn at Convoy. Thank you, Airbnb, for caring for your communities in Australia and around the world.
