Temporary Shelter could be Long-Term

Adequate shelter, an essential component to wellbeing, is guaranteed to refugees through the UNHCR’s protection mission.  The agency provide tents, plastic sheeting, and tools, which often include nails and rope.  It is then typically the responsibility of the asylum seeking individuals or families to build and sustain the shelter in which they reside, until other accommodations can be made.

Pre-fabricated, flat-packed tents are commonly used by refugees; however, tents may not be the most practical solution. These are temporary solutions should be considered the last option, for refugees spend 17 years in camps on average. In addition, the distribution of these materials is not as quick or as efficient as needed to meet demand.

Instead, alternatives to tents should be provided more frequently to refugees. There are three common types of alternatives for refugees, excluding those that live in urban, semi-developed areas. These alternative are: plastic sheeting shelters, traditional built shelters, and tunnel structures.

Plastic sheeting shelters are made of a regular plastic sheet, that is typically part of emergency shelter provisions, either wooden or metal poles, rope, nails, and something that can be used to spread the load of nailing directly into the plastic in order to avoid tearing, usually batons or wide-headed nails suffice.  These basic shelters are the best for circumstances when shelter is needed immediately; this is because these structures can be rapidly built.  If the plastic sheeting is durable, the shelter will last for many years, allowing for systematic improvements and regular maintenance.  This shelter, however, is not preferred in harsh weather conditions, because it provides minimal coverage to its inhabitants.

Traditional built shelters are often built using locally sourced technology and materials. These are often preferred for they aesthetically integrate into the culture of host community. These options are more culturally appropriate, due to their vernacular roots. They are also often cheaper than traditional tents because all of the materials can be sources at little to no cost, and transportation plus associated fees are often eliminated. They are certainly preferred by refugees because the comfort level is much higher than the standard tent. They do however, take longer to build and can encourage people to stay in “temporary” settlements, which may upset the host community.

Tunnel structures are not used as frequently. The materials required to make them are scarce, such as iron bars, medium density polyethylene water pipes, and several sheets of plastic, instead of one; however, these shelters are much more secure and comfortable than traditional tents.

Many refugees are forced to resettle, sometimes within the same camp; for example, 1300-1500 people are moving each day within one settlement in Elegu, Uguanda.  Because of the frequency in which refugees move from location to location, it may be the most logical to build a shelter that can be easily taken apart and moved.  In order to improve the comfort of these temporary shelters, it may be practical to slowly improve structures over time. For example, adding more wooden elements to a shelter to increase stability may be the first step.  Creating walls to enclose the shelter out of mud could be the next step.  Adding adobe may be the final step. 

It is possible that a temporary shelter is the immediate solution; however, as time passes, subtle alterations to the structure offer the potential to transform these adequate shelters into livable, long-term solutions.