How Airbnb can help people whose Florida homes were wrecked by Hurricane Milton

A nonprofit arm of Airbnb is stepping up efforts to help people who need free temporary shelter after the devastating one-two punch of two hurricanes.

Airbnb.org is matching people offering their homes with people who had to leave theirs. As of Oct. 17, the nonprofit says it has found free housing for over 1,500 people from Florida. Another 4,300 have received shelter in hurricane-hit North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.

Those numbers are likely to grow as damage assessments are carried out, the group’s head told the Miami Herald. In past disasters, stays in temporary houses were typically around two weeks. Now, “we’re getting a lot of requests for extensions,” said Christoph Gorder, Airbnb.org’s executive director.

“It’s been a long three weeks,” he said about those affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton, “but we’re still at the beginning” of the recovery, he cautioned.

People who left the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Milton are returning to homes that aren’t habitable. Inland areas, from North Tampa to Orlando, also are dealing with flooded homes from the rain Milton dumped across the state.

The independent nonprofit created by the popular hospitality company was founded in December 2020 and focuses on “connecting people with free, temporary housing in times of crisis.” Earlier this year, it offered housing to victims of wildfires in San Bernardino, California, and Hurricane Beryl in Houston.

In under four years, the group says it has provided more than 1.6 million nights of emergency stays for about 240,000 people.

How to get help from Airbnb.org

Here’s how it works:

Airbnb.org uses the regular Airbnb platform and hosts, seeking volunteers. Those who want to offer places can do so by going to Airbnb.org’s website and signing up .

Hosts are not required to offer their places for free or even for a steep discount. But they are encouraged and many are willing, Gorder said.

Whatever their minimum price, Airbnb.org subsidizes the rest so it’s free for those who need help. Airbnb also waives service fees for hosts and guests. Hosts who sign up to share their home receive damage protection and liability insurance with AirCover for each booking.

The nonprofit doesn’t directly offer the housing. It works with Florida United Methodist Conference, United Way, Global Empowerment Mission and local 211 contact centers in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.

Those groups identify people in need of temporary housing and connect them to the Airbnb hosts. They look for people who have lost their homes or been forced to evacuate. If you think you qualify, you can request support from Airbnb in the following ways:

▪ Sarasota or Manatee counties: Call the Florida United Methodist Conference at 863-688-5563.

▪ Pasco County: Call Global Empowerment Mission at 800-995-7604

▪ Rest of Florida: Call your local county or the 211 hotline .

▪ North Carolina, South Carolina or Georgia: Go to Airbnb.org

How to donate to the housing effort

If you can’t donate a home, you can donate money to Airbnb.org. A 100% of the donation covers the cost of temporary stays, said Gorder, the nonprofit’s chief.

And for Hurricanes Helene and Milton, Airbnb has a special offer: donations made by Nov. 1 will be matched by the company.

“Everybody needs to pitch in,” Gorder said. “There’s no way any one of us can meet the demand.”