Jamaica leads Caribbean in Airbnb emergency housing

MORE than two-thirds of the 1,500 nights of emergency housing provided for families displaced by natural disasters across the Caribbean by Airbnb.org since 2020 have been utilised in Jamaica. Christoph Gorder, executive director of Airbnb.org — the independent non-profit founded by Airbnb to provide emergency housing in times of crisis — puts the figure at more than 1,000 nights. “The vast majority of that housing was provided in the wake of Hurricane Melissa, reflecting the scale of the storm’s impact,“ Gorder said in an e-mailed response to the Jamaica Observer.

He said the non-profit is proud of the role its community has played in supporting people in Jamaica during emergencies. A section of a Westmoreland property after Hurricane Melissa’s rampage last October. “And as our partnership with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) and other partners like IOM, Church World Services, and All Hands and Hearts demonstrates, we stand ready to help in the future,” Gorder said.

Last month, Airbnb and Airbnb.org signed an agreement with CDEMA to accelerate access to temporary housing for disaster victims across the agency’s 20 Caribbean member countries. The agreement is designed to help mobilise available housing support after a disaster, helping close temporary housing gaps that often emerge in the immediate aftermath of a crisis. One of the homes that were destroyed by Hurricane Melissa last October (Photo: Gavin Jones) The partnership is anchored by a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that addresses roles, coordination, and activations during the critical early days of a disaster response.

CDEMA will help coordinate with local responders to identify people with emergency housing needs, while Airbnb.org will support these efforts by helping provide free, available emergency housing. Airbnb.org leverages the Airbnb platform to help connect people who need a place to stay with listings on the platform, enabling guests to book homes that meet their needs, including kitchens, laundry rooms, and pet-friendly spaces. All stays are offered at no cost to guests and funded by Airbnb.org.

One of the many houses destroyed by Hurricane Melissa when it hit Parottee, St Elizabeth, on October 28. According to CDEMA’s Executive Director Elizabeth Riley, the partnership represents a valuable addition to the region’s disaster preparedness and response framew…