3.1 What you need to know & understand

Checklist

To decide if a shelter intervention is necessary and what it should be, CARE should assess:

• The number of people made homeless by the disaster. The vulnerability of the affected population.
• Any shelter activities that the affected communities have begun themselves. This gives an indication of resources and capacity.
• The organisational structure (cluster) coordinating the shelter response – national government, UNHCR (conflict), IFRC (natural disasters) or another organisation. The cluster will be a key source of further information, overall strategy and standards.
• Other organisations planning a shelter response including the government. CARE should ensure coordination at the earliest opportunity.
• The availability of shelter materials and construction labour.
• Maps of the affected area. These will be used to identify where CARE could intervene, how to get there, geographical hazards and new sites.
• Capacity and experience of CARE staff with shelter experience and skills. The ability of the CARE country office to support a shelter response with adequate logistics, procurement,  M&E and HR capacity. Availability of sector support.