Tents are simple and afford basic protection from the elements, but they are little help in the face of hurricane winds or the bitter cold of a long winter.

The people of Haiti know this all too well.

Tents are also poor protection from insects and vermin, not to mention unwanted intrusion from humans and other predators. These factors make refugee camps hotbeds of disease and crime, worsening conditions further and destroying any chance of true recovery.

Without the stability of a solid, safe, secure home a family cannot live their lives with basic human dignity.

Security, Stability, and Dignity

We say an emergency shelter for human beings must do more than protect from the elements. It must also meet the basic standards of human dignity.

A shelter must have a solid floor that raises people above the mud and filth of their surroundings. It must have solid walls that protect them from the winds and weather of the most extreme climates, all year round.

It must have windows that let in sunlight but keep out the rain and pests, and doors that close and lock, giving a family the privacy they deserve and the security they need.

And it should at least have the capacity for basic modern amenities: hookups for electricity, and plumbing, and basic communications to let a temporary shelter transition to a functional family home.

A Universal Approach

Of course, to be useful in emergencies it must also be simple, lightweight and portable. It must be easy to assemble without special tools or equipment, and it should be capable of being reused over and over again.

The URGENT Shelter Project was created to develop a simple, inexpensive, and easy to use building system that meets these basic human needs and affords the victims of disaster the help and human dignity they deserve.