Airbnb.org, World Relief Partner to Provide Temporary Housing for Displaced Refugees and Other Immigrants Following Historic Tornado
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Following EF-3 tornado, local NGOs come alongside affected immigrant communities
Contact: Lauren Rasmussen, media@wr.org, 802.310.4255
FOX VALLEY, Wis. – World Relief and Airbnb.org are partnering to support families impacted by the devastating tornado that ripped through the Appleton and Menasha communities in the Fox Valley area in Wisconsin last month. Thanks to Airbnb.org’s free emergency housing support, refugee and immigrant families who already had to flee their homes prior to being resettled in Wisconsin have a home to stay in while many are facing significant repairs on their own homes, enabling breadwinners to continue to work and families continue to contribute to their communities.
While tornadoes are not a new phenomenon to Wisconsin, this tornado broke recent records in the severity and duration of its damage, bringing 140 mph winds and touching down across a 12-mile swath. In its wake, an estimated 130,000 Wisconsin homes lost power, some for many days, and families in the epicenter were left with severe or complete damage to homes, businesses and property. Menasha’s immigrant population was deeply impacted. Many of the impacted families were resettled by World Relief in the Fox Valley area over the last ten years from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“Losing your home once is devastating, but experiencing that loss again, is deeply retraumatizing,” commented Aerlande Wontamo, senior vice president of U.S. programs at World Relief. “We grieve with the communities impacted in Wisconsin and surrounding areas who are just beginning the process of rebuilding following last week’s tornado, and we grieve in particular for those refugee families from whom this loss is not the first time they’ve had to rebuild home. We’re humbled by and grateful for the way the Fox Valley and surrounding communities have rallied to support each other, and we’re grateful to Airbnb.org for their enduring commitment to communities in need and the ways they’re showing up alongside vulnerable populations after this crisis.”
“After a disaster, having a comfortable home to stay in offers more than just a roof and four walls. It gives guests a place to process and recover from a crisis,” said Christoph Gorder, executive director of Airbnb.org. “We’ve partnered with World Relief since 2021 to support communities in need. We’re grateful to work together again following last month’s tornado so people can access free temporary housing in Wisconsin.”
In addition to supporting families as they begin to rebuild their homes, World Relief Wisconsin is working alongside other local immigrant-serving NGOs to ensure families have access to food and hygiene supplies, as well as tailoring resources to reflect the necessary languages and cultural sensibilities of the impacted communities. Repairing after a crisis like last week’s tornado is a slow process, and World Relief Wisconsin is working to ensure that families, especially those recently resettled, have the resources that they need to continue to support themselves, in a time when other avenues such as SNAP and Medicaid have or will expire for refugees.
“This disaster has revealed the very best of our community,” commented Gail Cornelius, regional director of World Relief Wisconsin. “We have been humbled and blessed to see churches, businesses, volunteers and neighbors show up for one another with incredible generosity. We are especially grateful for Airbnb.org’s support, which will help provide temporary housing for families as they navigate the uncertainty of recovery.
“As we walk alongside refugee and immigrant families affected by the storm, we know that accessing available resources is not always straightforward. We are grateful to serve as a bridge between families and the many organizations, congregations and community members eager to help. Many of these families have called this area home for years, and it is a privilege to help ensure they can fully participate in the recovery and support being offered.”
To learn more about World Relief’s work in Wisconsin or find out how you can help support recovery efforts, visit link. Gifts made this month will help World Relief provide critical support to families impacted by the recent tornadoes and continue building communities where immigrants are supported to flourish.
About World Relief
World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization whose mission is to boldly engage the world’s greatest crises in partnership with the church. The organization was founded in the aftermath of World War II to respond to the displacement crisis in war-torn Europe. Since then, for 80 years, across more than 100 countries, World Relief has partnered with local churches and communities to build a world where families thrive and communities flourish. Since the 1970s, World Relief has partnered with local churches to welcome and serve hundreds of thousands of refugees and other immigrants throughout the United States. To learn more, visit worldrelief.org
About Airbnb.org
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. 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.
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