Airbnb.org provides emergency housing for people displaced by Spain wildfires

Key Takeaways

• To support people displaced by the wildfires in Madrid and Ávila, Airbnb.org is partnering with the Association Mensajeros de la Paz to offer free temporary housing.
  
  
• The Association Mensajeros de la Paz is working with municipalities and local authorities to help identify displaced families and direct them toward the range of housing solutions available, including Airbnb.org.
  
  

To support people displaced by the wildfires in Madrid and Ávila, Airbnb.org is partnering with the Association Mensajeros de la Paz to offer free temporary housing.

The wildfires that have forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people across Madrid and Ávila and prompted the Spanish government to declare a national emergency, the first ever issued in the country for a wildfire, Airbnb.org has activated its emergency response programme to provide temporary accommodation to displaced families.

“When disaster strikes, no one should have to worry about where they’ll sleep that night. Airbnb.org exists to make sure displaced families have a comfortable, welcoming place to stay during the hardest moments. Working alongside the Association Mensajeros de la Paz, we’re offering free stays to the families in Madrid and Ávila who need it most.” – Christoph Gorder, Executive Director of Airbnb.org

Airbnb.org works with local organizations to help identify those in need of emergency housing. Residents whose primary home is in a mandatory evacuation zone can apply for free emergency housing through Airbnb.org by contacting the Association Mensajeros de la Paz. People who have received only an evacuation notice or warning – rather than a mandatory evacuation order – are not currently eligible for the programme.

The Association Mensajeros de la Paz is working with municipalities and local authorities in affected areas to help identify displaced families and direct them toward the range of housing solutions available, including Airbnb.org.

• Donate to Airbnb.org: 100% of donations go directly toward emergency housing for this response and others.
  
  
• Airbnb hosts can sign up to offer discounted stays to displaced residents.
  
  

Airbnb.org’s emergency response programme has already been mobilized on several occasions in Spain to support people affected by crises: after the floods caused by the DANA in the Comunitat Valenciana in autumn 2024, in partnership with the Association Mensajeros de la Paz, providing free temporary housing to displaced residents and emergency personnel in Valencia and Castellón; through the official launch in Spain of its Medical Stays programm, working with six local nonprofits, including ASION, Fundación Xana, Fundación Aladina, Fundación Infantil Ronald McDonald, Fundación Menudos Corazones and the Association Mensajeros de la Paz, to provide free accommodation for families who need to travel for medical treatment; and more recently after the earthquakes in Venezuela by providing free, emergency housing to first responders from Save the Children to support their work.

Airbnb was born in 2007 when two hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 5 million hosts who have welcomed over 2 billion guest arrivals in almost every country across the globe. Every day, hosts offer unique stays, experiences, and services that make it possible for guests to connect with communities in a more authentic way.

Airbnb.org is a nonprofit organization founded by Airbnb that connects people to free emergency housing in times of crisis. Airbnb.org pays for stays, leverages the Airbnb platform, and taps into Airbnb’s global community of hosts willing to share their homes with those in need. Airbnb covers all Airbnb.org’s operating costs and makes no money on Airbnb.org stays. This means 100% of donations directly fund stays for people in need of emergency housing. Since 2020, Airbnb.org has provided 1.6 million nights of free, temporary housing in nearly 140 countries around the world.