Thousands of people — including hundreds of Canadians — have offered their homes to people fleeing the war in Ukraine after Airbnb announced it would temporarily house up to 100,000 refugees.
In late February, Airbnb announced that it would offer free temporary housing for up to 100,000 Ukrainians displaced by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In an update Monday, the company said more than 21,500 new hosts had signed up, including about 14,000 in Europe, 4,000 in the United States, and more than 700 in Canada.
Airbnb says it also has raised more than US$36.7 million to support Ukrainians.
In a Twitter post on Friday, Airbnb CEO and co-founder Brian Chesky said guest bookings in Ukraine have generated US$15 million in donations to hosts there, with 434,000 nights booked.
“On behalf of our Hosts in Ukraine, thank you,” Chesky wrote.
The funds raised also include more than US$17 million in donations from Airbnb and its founders, more than $4.5 million raised by more than 50,000 individual donors from 92 countries, and more than $625,000 from Airbnb employees.
Chesky previously called for people to open their homes in Poland, Germany, Hungary and Romania, with him and other company officials writing to the leaders of those countries.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) says more than three million people have fled Ukraine to neighbouring countries since Russian forces invaded on Feb. 24.
Airbnb says it is working with the IOM and German government on providing temporary housing, while the non-profit arm of the NBA’s Utah Jazz is funding more than 32,200 nights for Ukrainian refugees.
