Following the 2010 Haiti earthquake, USAID/OFDA took a community-based approach to recovery, working with partners and residents to provide two-story transitional shelters in the Ravine Pintade neighborhood of Port-au-Prince.

Chuck Setchell, USAID/OFDA

USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) remains at the forefront of the humanitarian community’s shelter and settlements (S&S) activities, which focus on a common goal: the expeditious and appropriate provision of covered living space to adequately shelter displaced populations, while also promoting safer, healthier settlements that link emergency S&S assistance to longer-term recovery efforts.

USAID/OFDA contributes to the international humanitarian community’s broader S&S strategic framework through participation in the Shelter and Settlements Working Group— an open membership group hosted by InterAction—and the Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance in Humanitarian Action. USAID/OFDA also participates in Global Shelter and Camp Coordination and Camp Management cluster activities.

In Fiscal Year (FY) 2016, USAID/OFDA provided nearly $81 million for humanitarian S&S assistance and shelter-related disaster risk reduction activities, including nearly $80 million for S&S interventions in 24 countries and more than $1.1 million for global and regional S&S initiatives.

Learn the basics of shelter and settlements in humanitarian response through the following online trainings:  

• ​InterAction
• DisasterReady.com (A certificate of completion is available)
• YouTube​

Shelter and Settlements Resources

• Sector Updates
• Training Video on Installation of USAID/OFDA Plastic Sheeting
• Shelter and Settlements Training Course Handouts
• USAID/OFDA Humanitarian Shelter and Settlements Principles
• USAID/OFDA Humanitarian Shelters and Settlements Activities
• Key Findings from USAID/OFDA Wind Tunnel Testing
• Shelter and Component Testing (Final)
• Shelter and Component Testing (Supplementary Test)