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EUROPE IS IN the midst of the worst refugee crisis in decades, with over four million Syrian refugees fleeing their country’s civil war and many coming to Europe for shelter.
Countries have been taking a differing approach to the crisis — Germany has been praised for welcoming refugees while Hungary is getting slammed for its handling of the influx of people.
The Dutch have been among the most welcoming in Europe, with public projects to support refugees, and now three Netherlands-based entrepreneurs have set up an “Airbnb for refugees.”
Germaine Statia, 23, Jamal Oulel, 25, and Ayoub Aouragh, 24, have set up Refugeehero.com, a website that lets people advertise spare rooms for refugees to stay in.
“We want to give back humanity to mankind,” says Germaine Statia in a statement sent to Business Insider.
The website is not for profit, social startup. Refugeehero.com plans to get funding from municipalities in the Netherlands. Jamal Oulel says:
“Government institutions in the Netherlands alone spent €495 million in 2014 to accommodate refugees.”
The website operates pretty much like Airbnb. People, called “heroes”, offer up spare rooms in their homes for refugees to temporarily stay in:
The mobile-friendly website includes private residential listings, as well as organisations opening up their facilities, such as churches, mosques, schools and universities.
Refugees can check where is available, when, and who has space:
The three founders say they hope Refugee Hero will become much more than just a platform for refugees to find shelter on.
“We want the heroes to help the refugees find their way in a new, strange country,” says Ayoub Aouragh.
“This means Refugee Hero will grow to become a platform facilitating all important aspects linked to migration. This varies from helping refugees find a new school for their children or even arranging social security and applying for a passport.”
Volunteers recently set up a similar “Airbnb for refugees”-style website in Germany.
Ireland has committed to take in up to 4,000 people.
The US and Australia said last week that they would accept more tens of thousands more refugees.
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Fantastic, the 6,000 Irish who signed up to house refugees can now do so. No need for the government to find accommodation for the 4,000 refugees as these generous people will house them.
This people are too naïve…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfKf3r161cQ
I’m going to take a wild guess here….f*** all people will sign up to this. the reason being is because it is a whole lot easier to stand like an idiot and pose for a photo with a placard with a welcoming message for refugees written all over it. modern society is full of sheep. sheep whom adore the knee jerk reaction of social media. bunch of plebs the lot of them
That is so not the case – we were in The Netherlands last week for a family wedding and it was on telly the numbers of ppl who have opened their doors to refugees is for real and substantial so your cynicism while understandable given the attitude of some governments and individuals to refugees is misplaced in this instance. I’m very proud to have close links with Dutch ppl (hubby and daughter in law) and applaud their open hearted and generous approach. The general consensus isn’t all Wilders-type xenophobia thankfully.
What about some of this bunch of hypocrites take in some of our own homeless people. believe me there are plenty to choose from
Any idea how the service distinguishes between ‘refugees’ and ‘economic migrants’?
answers on a postcard to:
Peter Sutherland
Psychopath
European Commission/United Nations/Goldman Sachs/Bilderberg Group
Fair play to all who genuinely sponsor a room.. with 6 thousand homes pledged and 4 thousand refugees there is also plenty of room for the 1500 native families with children who are homeless. winter cold is just as deadly. I hope the families aren’t barred from applying.
Winter is coming, the long night is nearly upon us, take in a family of refugees, we can teach you much about our culture
Main – you are an amateur, an absolute amateur wind up merchant.
you’re Irish, so why are you pretending to the Pakistani rapist who was deported a while back ?
Main Shaitid you’re effing priceless! Best laugh tonight!
We can be Heroes.
Just for one day!
so how do you know that they are refugees ?
How do they know they aren’t dangerous?
Bono and U2 can rent out rooms in there Dutch tax haven!
The site appears for now to be confined to The Netherlands. It shows no matches for Ireland.
The homeless crisis in Ireland may get so bad that Irish people may need to consider taking in people who would otherwise be homeless. Families and friends are already doing this in Ireland and the demand may become so pressing that some of us may feel that we have to take in strangers.
There are some potential legal and insurance impediments. It is a potential breach of covenant in some mortgages to take in strangers and taking in a stranger must be disclosed to insurers.
There are other issues to be resolved but I would not criticise anyone altruistic and even Christian enough to be a Good Samaritan. That is not to criticise those who would not contemplate doing so. It is merely to express admiration for those who are humane enough and principled enough to take in people and to give them sanctuary at a time when they are in desperate need.
I’m delighted to see this, well done!
This is a very positive step :)
How many can we put you down for Ele ?
Fair play to them..hope it works out..but can’t see it lasting too long..Imagine your close family coming to stay on a long weekend and multiply by a thousand..definitely be tension after a week..and the loss of personal space cant be measured..by all means help the genuine refugees..bring them over..give them a 5yr working visa..house them etc..but reduce the overseas aid budget to pay for it.
I wonder how long it will be before they need to use advertising to “pay for running the site” It stinks of three businessmen trying to cash in on the crisis, and trying to look like heroes doing it.
@Joe
You were wrong in your prediction of no one signing up, so far there is 1 listing in Ireland on the website and I’m sure the remaining 5,999 people who pledged a room will be submitting their details shortly.
have your say