Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said Tuesday that the rental logistics company would offer free housing for up to 20,000 refugees fleeing Afghanistan in host locations around the world.
“The displacement and resettlement of Afghan refugees in the US and elsewhere is one of the biggest humanitarian crises of our time. We feel a responsibility to step up," Chesky wrote in a series of tweets announcing the move.
The company will pay for the housing of the Afghan refugees, who will be sheltered by partnered hosts in cities around the world. Nongovernmental organizations and regional partners helping refugees resettle also will be helping.
Chesky did not say how long the refugees would be offered housing or whether the company would help with any long-term resettlement.
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The U.S. has ferried more than 70,000 people out of Afghanistan. Other nations such as Canada, France, Germany and the United Kingdom have also taken refugees.
Airbnb did not specify in which countries it would house refugees, but it operates in all countries accepting displaced Afghans.
The partnership is not the first time Airbnb has used its housing to help those in need. In March 2020, the company offered up to 100,000 sites for free lodging to medical first responders and relief workers combating the coronavirus pandemic.