'Refugees Welcome' is a German website that finds citizens willing to open their homes to refugees and pairs them with people or families in need.
So far, Refugees Welcome has helped asylum seekers from Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and other nations across the globe. Over 780 Germans have signed up to share their homes and 26 refugees have received successful placements through Refugees Welcome.
In addition to pairing refugees with hosts, the site helps people who open their home to a refugee subsidize the rent for their guest through government funding programs and crowdsourced donations. Currently, Refugees Welcome is only open to German and Austrian hosts but its founders say that with the help of partners abroad, it hopes to expand internationally.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Home-sharing for Refugees
- The trend of home-sharing for refugees can create innovative business opportunities in the travel and hospitality industry to provide temporary housing solutions for refugees.
- Collaborative Social Platforms
- Collaborative social platforms like Refugees Welcome are disrupting the social networking and crowdsourcing industry by connecting hosts and refugees and facilitating rental subsidies for temporary housing.
- Crowdfunding for Social Causes
- Crowdfunding platforms can explore innovative ways to support social causes like refugee resettlement by expanding donation opportunities for temporary housing and other necessities.
Where This Applies
- Travel and Hospitality
- In the travel and hospitality industry, disruptive innovation opportunities exist to develop temporary housing solutions and social tourism packages for refugees.
- Social Networking
- The social networking industry can be disrupted by creating niche platforms that connect hosts and refugees, and facilitate rental subsidies and other forms of assistance for temporary housing.
- Crowdfunding
- Crowdfunding platforms can explore innovative ways to support social causes like refugee resettlement by expanding donation opportunities for temporary housing and other necessities.
