As Los Angeles firefighters battled five wildfires that spread across the county on Wednesday evening, Airbnb, Uber and Lyft were among the companies that stepped in to provide immediate assistance to displaced residents.
Airbnb announced on Wednesday that it is working with… 211 Noa non-profit organization that provides Los Angeles County residents with a variety of health, human, and social services, provides free temporary housing to anyone displaced by the fires, which have devastated multiple communities throughout Los Angeles County and displaced approximately 180,000 people. Airbnb has been offering the service since 2012, when a Brooklyn host told the company she wanted to open her home to help people displaced by Hurricane Sandy that year. In 2020 Airbnb.org It was established as a non-profit arm of Airbnb.com to specifically help provide temporary housing to those affected by disasters around the world. Recent assistance to displaced residents through Airbnb.org included people who needed to leave their homes due to Hurricanes Helen and Milton, which impacted the southeastern United States in September and October 2024, and the Maui wildfires in 2023.
“When we opened the program [to L.A. residents] Christophe Gorder, CEO of Airbnb.org, said: Hollywood Reporter Thursday afternoon, who added that there are no geographic limits to where a displaced resident can choose to stay. “They get to choose where they want to be, because they may want to travel far to be close to extended family. They can also choose somewhere that is wheelchair accessible or somewhere that welcomes pets.
Free accommodation for evacuees is good for seven days, but for anyone who has lost their home, a phase two process is in place to provide housing for 30 days, Gorder said. “We start with [seven days] He explained: “For the stability of the people.” “Then, we work with families who have lost their homes, and in this case it could be 30 days. I expect that’s where we’re headed here.”
Airbnb waives all of its fees, while hosts’ costs are supported by donations Airbnb.org. “People all over the world want to help people in Los Angeles today, and this is a great way to do that,” Gorder said. “100% of donations go toward paying accommodation costs for families in need, largely to cover expense gaps that hosts must cover.” Gorder added that since 2020, Airbnb.org has provided 1.6 million nights of free stays to more than 250,000 people in 134 countries.
Ride-sharing apps are also jumping in with help. For transportation to a local shelter, Uber is offering free rides up to $40, using the code WILDFIRE25, while Lyft has introduced promo code CAFIRERELIEF25, good for up to $25 a ride to any local shelter.
Gorder said he was not surprised by the outpouring of support he saw this week for Los Angeles residents. “We started Airbnb.org because one of our hosts told us several years ago, ‘I have a free place, and no one should sleep in their car,’” Gorder noted. “Altruism is something we can all relate to and understand; it is a human desire for neighbors to help their neighbors.
This story may be updated as more information becomes available.