News Culture

Donate Your Spare Room to Disaster Relief

Offer your spare bed to people displaced by disaster via SparkRelief.

Pat Fogarty
March 30, 2011

Overview

Perhaps you’ve already bought a virtual coffee to help out people in Christchurch, donated some artwork to raise money for Japan, and you still want to give... then why not offer your spare room?

Sparkrelief is a brilliantly simple idea, that meets a serious need. Basically, it’s couchsurfing for people affected by disasters, directly connecting those in need of a place to stay, with those offering one.

As highlighted by founder Eli Hayes, there is a difference between staying in temporary emergency accommodation, and staying in someone’s home: “when you go into someone’s house and they take you in and start cooking you breakfast in the morning ... you have that community back again.”

Recently launched, the website is focussing on finding housing for those displaced by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, but intends to continue on a permanent basis acting as a source of information and temporary housing for those affected by disasters. With thirteen major earthquakes every year, Sparkrelief can expect to be kept busy.

[via Mashable]

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