WHEN disaster strikes, WHERE DO YOU GO?
AH&H and Airbnb.org Provide Safe Emergency Housing in Texas
JuLY 18, 2025
No one is ever prepared to lose everything overnight, especially in places where disasters feel distant and unlikely. When floods tore through central Texas, many families were caught off guard, forced to flee their homes with little warning. At All Hands & Hearts (AH&H), we meet people in these heartbreaking moments, when water hasn’t yet receded and the weight of loss is just beginning to become real. Through our partnership with Airbnb.org, we’ve helped survivors of the floods like Skylyn during some of the most terrifying and uncertain moments of their lives, offering safe, emergency housing.
On a quiet, unsuspecting early morning in Liberty Hill, Skylyn and her partner were awoken by sheriffs at five in the morning, bringing news that neighbors’ homes had been swept away. At first, they didn’t think much of it. “We didn’t take it too seriously, because it doesn’t flood in Texas that much,” she recalls. They went back to sleep, waiting for the storm to pass. Outside, the situation was drastically changing.
In only a few hours, their front lawn had turned into a rushing river. Skylyn left her home to take quick videos for the home insurance, wading through knee-deep water that was rapidly rising. She watched helplessly as furniture from a neighbor’s house floated downstream and slammed into hers.
Skylyn and her family had to make the gut-wrenching, split-second decision to evacuate their first home before it was too late to get out.
They lost their sense of home, everything they had worked so hard to achieve, in the flood. Thanks to the generosity of Airbnb.org, Skylyn and dozens of other families were able to access emergency housing, giving them safe shelter while they work on what comes next. We’re proud to partner with Airbnb.org to connect survivors with a place to land while they begin the long road to recovery, reminding us of what’s possible when we band together in recovery.
As of July 16, we’ve helped nearly 70 individuals and their pets find homes where they can rest, regroup and begin to piece their lives back together. Whether it’s a quiet place to care for a newborn, or a safe space to stay with pets while navigating insurance claims and next steps, this partnership is providing comfort at a time when people need it most. For many, it’s their first real moment to breathe after the storm.
If you are in the affected area and need housing assistance, please contact us at [email protected].
If you are interested in volunteering in Texas emergency flood relief, please complete our Volunteer Interest Form. We are currently in the early stages of emergency response, and will continue to update as our needs for volunteers develop.
