By Amr Arafa has opened his Washington D.C. apartment to refugees and domestic violence survivors over the past year as a Bed and Breakfast.
Using Airbnb to advertise his studio, Arafa began listing his apartment last November for $10 (the minimum price Airbnb allows), which he later returns. When his apartment is on loan, Arafa stays with friends, goes to a hotel, or is traveling.
Since coming to the U.S. in 2005, Arafa has been living with short term student and work visas. In 2015, Arafa finally obtained his green card, and he now owns his own business management firm. With his green card, Arafa visited his mother in Egypt, knowing that he would not be denied reentry into the U.S.
No longer focused on his legal status in the U.S., Arafa turned his attention toward helping others. “It started when I got this green card. I got this incredible dosage of stability. That card allowed me to see my mother for the first time in eight years,” Arafa told the Washington Post. “That one month home in Egypt, I came back with this new positive energy. I just wanted to help people get this sense of stability.”
Among his first guests were a Syrian couple from Texas who needed a place to stay while attending a hearing on their asylum case. During that week, Arafa was out of town and gave the couple his apartment.
Then on July 4, a woman with an abusive roommate reached out. After asking for a police report to ensure the woman was honest, Arafa handed over his apartment again. “I don’t think anyone could do this because it takes trust on both sides,” the woman anonymously stated. “He’s taking a risk, and I’m taking a risk. It made me realize that people like him are rare, but they do exist.”
“He’s taking a risk, and I’m taking a risk. It made me realize that people like him are rare, but they do exist.”
However, not all of the people contacting Arafa through Airbnb are actually in need. Arafa has noted that he receives a lot requests from travelers looking for a cheap place to stay, whom he rejects.
Consequently, Airbnb has taken down Arafa’s listing multiple times.
Realizing that Airbnb was not accomplishing what he wanted to do, Arafa created his own website EmergencyBnB, fashioned after the room renting site. Though no one has booked a place through the site yet, Arafa is building up a steady group of like minded hosts, who want to give people in need a short term home.
In addition to attracting hosts, Arafa is working on a vetting system. Currently, he speaks to each person individually and asks for documentation to prove they are being truthful. Once he verifies people’s stories he gives them his address. Arafa keeps his address private to protect domestic violence survivors.
So far EmergencyBnB is gaining the attention of non-profits working with refugees and the like.
Alysha Tagert, from the Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition, works with refugees seeking asylum and has expressed interest in using the site to help her clients. “It’s incredibly difficult to get a bed anywhere in the city,” she said.
“Public shelters are sometimes very dangerous environments. We’re talking about sometimes very traumatized people going into dysfunctional environments. It would be a very natural welcome for an individual if they were staying in a home. I think it’s important for enculturation, for feeling like you belong.”
“It would be a very natural welcome for an individual if they were staying in a home. I think it’s important for enculturation, for feeling like you belong.”
Arafa agrees, so he keeps his studio casual to make people feel welcome. He does not expect his emergency BnB to solve the refugee crisis, but we can agree he is doing his part in helping people in need.
He just wants to help vulnerable people, and with thousands of refugees, domestic violence survivors, and homeless people throughout America, he definitely will.
—
Written By Zarina Iman