In Guatemala, Airbnb.org Helps Displaced People Find Home
By Beverly Goldberg
HIAS.org
Jul 10, 2024
HIAS Guatemala staff make a technical visit to an Airbnb host who participates in a program providing at-risk displaced people with accommodation. Guatemala City, June 7, 2024. (Lizbeth Marroquin/HIAS)
When Deisy Castillo*, a 30-year-old from Guatemala with two young children, experienced gender-based violence (GBV), she urgently needed to find accommodation in Guatemala City – but she had no idea how to find a place to stay.
It was at this moment when an emergency housing program established by HIAS with Airbnb.org support stepped up to provide Deisy and her family with a safe place – one that felt like home.
“The accommodation they provided us with was great and we felt really comfortable in the apartment,” said Deisy. “The woman that received me took her time to explain things to me, to greet me. In a hotel, you wouldn’t find this help so easily.”
Since 2018, HIAS has collaborated with Airbnb.org, and its predecessor program, Airbnb Open Homes, to provide emergency accommodation to refugees, asylum seekers and other people in need of a welcoming place to stay. The program also provides complementary humanitarian assistance in areas such as mental health support and gender-based violence (GBV) response services.
In the last six years, the program has supported close to 60,000 people in Guatemala, the U.S., Ecuador, Poland, Colombia, Peru, and Guyana.
Making a Difference in the Lives of Guests and Hosts
HIAS works with carefully selected hosts to make sure that participants are protected, comfortable and settled into their place. HIAS Guatemala staff carry out monitoring visits to evaluate the conditions of accommodation, and they accompany participants during check-in and check-out.
I want my children to grow up and learn about the importance of helping others. They accompany my wife and I in this entire process.
Jorge Luis Velásquez, Airbnb Superhost
In addition, HIAS provides hosts with training sessions on protection, gender, and refugee rights to ensure they feel fully equipped to receive people at-risk in their homes.
For Airbnb superhost Jorge Luis Velásquez* and his family, providing his apartment to people in need of accommodation has brought unexpected benefits to their lives.
“It’s really comforting for us as a family to help people,” he said. “We want to help them, and we want them to forget about everything that they’ve gone through for a while. I want my children to grow up and learn about the importance of helping others. They accompany my wife and I in this entire process.”
From the beginning of the program until May 2024, 136 people across Guatemala received emergency accommodation thanks to the partnership.
