Published Apr 9, 2019

People Traveling For Cancer Treatment Can Get Free Housing With New Airbnb Program

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When it comes to cancer care, the best options aren’t always nearby. A lot of people find themselves having to travel to find a facility that can suit their specific needs — and on top of the actual cost of treatment, paying to stay somewhere while getting that treatment can become an unmanageable financial burden. A new Airbnb program aims to eliminate some of that stress.

Airbnb’s new Open Homes for Medical Stays program finds hosts who are willing to open their homes free of charge to people who need to travel for critical medical treatment. Airbnb has now partnered with the Bone Marrow & Cancer Foundation and the Cancer Support Community, which both support seriously ill patients, to offer free housing through the Open Homes program. The home-sharing app is also making a hefty donation — $1.2 million in grants — to both organizations to help pay for travel expenses for patients when Airbnb homes may not be available, according to WebMD.

Airbnb announced that the program is meant to do away with the barriers between less-privileged people and good cancer treatment. “Many people need to travel for medical reasons, and too often the cost of temporary accommodations can be a major barrier to accessing life-saving treatment or critical respite during recovery,” the company says on its website. “Having free, short-term housing can help ease a patient’s financial concerns, while giving them the hope and energy they need to overcome illness.”

There are a few necessary qualifications if you’d like to be considered for free housing through Airbnb’s program. You must be traveling at least 100 miles for treatments, scans, clinical trials, or other necessary care; must meet annual income rules, which vary by household size (a household of two people would need to have a gross family income of less than $49,380); and you must verify that you need to be traveling to receive this specific treatment — someone like an oncologist or nurse can sign off on that.

Airbnb is also welcoming applications from anyone who would like to open their home to people facing cancer. More information can be found here.

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