Why we’re building bayn.

We put up an Instagram story or ask friends to forward a message through their WhatsApp groups. Someone may have exactly what we need, but whether we find each other depends on who sees the message before it disappears. We wanted an easier way to reach one another, with less reliance on platforms whose business practices conflict with our values.

That is where bayn began. The name comes from بين, meaning “between” in Arabic, and reflects our lives between places and the relationships that connect them. We’re building it for people who want to remain part of a community even when they don’t live in the same country.

Sublets and home swaps give us a practical place to begin. Someone leaving their room for a few months can reach a member who needs it, while people with homes in different cities can explore whether a swap would work for them. Personal invitations help establish how members are connected, while clear information and the chance to speak directly help them decide whether an arrangement works for both.

Feeling comfortable in someone’s home also depends on how you expect to be treated there. We want a community where people can speak openly about their lives and convictions without constantly weighing their words. For us, solidarity with Palestine belongs in that understanding. Our commitment to Palestinian freedom is informed by anti-colonial and anti-Zionist politics, which also shape how we think about home and the circumstances that force people to leave it.

Those convictions carry responsibilities towards one another. Racism, including antisemitism and Islamophobia, has no place in the community we are building. Queer members should be able to speak about their partners and their lives without having to assess whether doing so will change how they are treated. These commitments need to inform how we respond when someone raises a concern, including when it involves a friend of the team. Shared values leave room for disagreement; they also give us grounds for holding one another accountable.

Over time, we want members to be able to share more of the help that already passes between them. A guide written by someone who lives in a city can make arriving there easier, just as a paid opportunity shared beyond an immediate circle can reach someone who would otherwise miss it. We’ll develop those parts of bayn around what members need and what we can support properly.

We’re building bayn because we want to use it ourselves, and because we know how much an introduction or an offer of help can mean somewhere unfamiliar. We hope it becomes a place you return to when you have something to share as well as when you need a hand.