Shelter

Shelter for emergency situations can range in degree of permanence from a simple blue tarp that barely blocks the rain to a solid, permanent home. In the case of the SE Asian tsunami, good site planning and semi-permanent shelters made from substantial materials can help address the enormous housing crisis. There seems to be a general agreement among aid agencies that it is preferable to encourage community participation in rebuilding efforts. Local building materials are usually easier to obtain, more environmentally appropriate and, when purchased, return money to the local economy.

The Norwegian Refugee Council proposes an integrated understanding of shelter within the wider community – a framework that seems particularly useful for addressing both short-term and long-term shelter needs.

 House : its domestic, functional, social and symbolic importance for the owner and his/her family, as their home.

Environment : the setting and siting of the shelter solution; landscape, climate, access to infrastructure and services, education, health, settlement structure (urban/rural) etc.

Livelihood : the mode of subsistence for the family, their products and incomes: access to employment, land, markets etc.

Socio-economic and political context: the house and household in a wide community context such as whether it is a majority or minority situation, the conflict situation and ownership issues.

General information on shelter and site planning for semi-permanent settlements:

The Norwegian Refugee Council ’s publication on Shelter outlines the organization’s experience providing accommodation to refugee populations in Africa and the Balkans.

http://www.nrc.no/NRC/core/Shelter.pdf

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières provides information on Shelter and Site Planning for refugee camps:

http://www.refugeecamp.org/learnmore/shelter/

ALNAP (the Ac tive Learning Network for Accountability and Performance in Humanitarian Action) analyzes Participatory Habitat and Shelter Programs in its handbook on Participation in Humanitarian Action.

http://www.alnap.org/gs_handbook/c10.pdf

ALNAP also posts evaluation reports on the humanitarian response to previous natural disasters.

http://www.alnap.org/lessons_tsunami.htm

OXFAM Bangladesh River Basin Programme – flood response and community development

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/what_we_do/where_we_work/bangladesh/emergency/riverbasin/index.htm

Types of shelters