Women’s Aid has partnered with Airbnb and City Hall to launch a pilot scheme providing emergency accommodation for people fleeing domestic abuse in London.

The initiative will offer up to 60 survivors — including families with children — free stays of up to two weeks in properties listed on Airbnb across the capital. Alongside temporary housing, participants will receive tailored support such as legal advice, translation services, advocacy, and help with practical needs like transport.

Farah Nazeer, chief executive of Women’s Aid, said the collaboration comes at a crucial moment. “Systemic underfunding of specialist services has sadly meant that victims and survivors seeking support have been turned away at a point of crisis, with refuges operating a 60% refusal rate,” she said. “Collaborations such as these will mean survivors now have options, instead of facing imminent homelessness or being forced to return to the abuser.”

More than 90,000 cases of domestic abuse were recorded by London police in the year to August 2025.

The pilot is backed by £50,000 from the Mayor of London, matched by Airbnb, with Women’s Aid contributing an additional £10,000 alongside access to its existing refuge network. Women’s Aid staff will handle bookings through the Airbnb platform, with safeguarding checks already completed on participating properties.

City Hall said the scheme will run until the end of the year, and could pave the way for larger partnerships if successful.

Mayor Sadiq Khan said he remains “committed to continuing to work with partners to explore innovations to ensure survivors can access the care and support they need, whilst also working with the Met to go after perpetrators of these heinous crimes.”

Khan noted that City Hall has previously allocated £54m to the Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation programme, which has supported more than 40,000 survivors since 2021. Photo by Raysonho, Wikimedia commons.