Airbnb Announces $1M Gift To Fund Home Stays For LA Vaccine Workers
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Airbnb Monday announced the launch of Airbnb.org, a nonprofit dedicated to facilitating temporary stays for people in times of crisis, and committed $1 million to fund housing for essential workers administering free COVID-19 tests at future vaccine distribution centers.
In recent years, the company's Open Homes and Frontline Stays program, now called Aribnb.org, has helped people displaced by wildfires across Southern California and most recently frontline workers through a partnership with L.A. County and the health care workers union SEIU-UHW.
The company also said they are donating $1 million to fund housing for essential workers administering free COVID-19 tests at future vaccine distribution centers in Los Angeles and nine other cities.
The gift to Community Organized Relief Effort will allow the organization, co-founded by actor Sean Penn, to provide relief efforts as hotspots arise, according to CORE.
"We are incredibly grateful to Airbnb.org for providing places for our team to stay while they are away from home and serving communities that are being affected by COVID-19," said Ann Lee, CORE co-founder and CEO. "It's heartening to know that our hardworking team has a safe and comfortable place to rest and recuperate after the hard work they do every single day on the frontlines of fighting this pandemic."
Airbnb has pledged 400,000 shares of Airbnb stock to support Airbnb.org's emergency response, natural disaster and refugee programs. Meanwhile, Airbnb co-founders Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia and Nate Blecharczyk are committing $6 million, the company announced.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
