Shelter Depot: Work for Credit

As of 2022, almost 110 million people are displaced. The World Bank predicts this number will grow to over 240 million displaced and in need of shelter by 2051. Less than 0.1% will ever be resettled leaving 99 million people in need of more sustainable solutions. On average, a person displaced today will be away from home for over two decades, but the current refugee relief system for the majority of refugees focuses primarily on the first 1-2 years of displacement: the Emergency Response Phase. This phase is heavily dependent on cheap imports and band aid solutions. This is the beginning of a vicious cycle of endless aid and painful dependence. In an emergency, free aid is necessary and welcome, but in ordinary life, everyone deserves the dignity of stability: stability through housing provides an economic springboard from which refugees can launch themselves into prosperity and a thriving society. Professor Mathew Desmond from Princeton University has said “Housing is absolutely essential to human flourishing. Without stable shelter, it all falls apart.” The current model for displacement isn’t working. It’s time to build more sustainable solutions now so we can meet this critical and growing global crisis.

Every Shelter created the Shelter Depot concept to fill in a critical gap in the refugee aid ecosystem. Shelter Depot is a home improvement store that not only offers shelter stabilizing products and services currently not accessible to the most refugees in camps and settlements, but also provides even greater economic opportunities through a work for credit (WFC) program. Shelter Depot aims to enhance and increase displaced peoples’ economic prosperity by providing housing stability through market access to resources, tools, and training, as well as offer WFC opportunities where residents can sign up to be trained to participate in a work day for either cash, credit to the store, or products they produced. 

With stable housing, WFC opportunities, and skill training through WFC in a market-based marketplace, refugees have a chance at a thriving society. Shelter Depot provides access to things like:

1. Interlocking Stabilized Soil Blocks: stabilized earth bricks made locally in camp without the need for cutting down trees and vegetation, baking with fuel, or transporting materials from overseas provide housing that will not erode away after a rainy season. At Shelter Depot, refugees can learn how to use a tool to make these soil blocks.

2. Solar lighting: refugee parents and children can both use a light source to work or play or study longer into the evening. 

3. Local forestry products: part of Shelter Depot’s work for credit opportunities include planting trees for sustainably harvested shelter poles and carbon offset market-backed reforesting work. Each refugee participating in this opportunity is given a sustainable forestry certificate.

4. Building homes for others: one goal is to have refugees engage in work for credit opportunities where they build houses for other refugees all while earning a masonry certificate. With that certification, they can then go outside the settlement to find additional employment.

5. Bashe Bora: Every Shelter hires refugees and Ugandans alike to take landfill-bound billboard vinyls bound for the landfill and repurpose them into high quality shelter roofs or shelter floors. With this opportunity, refugees have another chance to earn a heat welding certificate so they can find greater employment opportunities outside of the settlement.

As Shelter Depot grows in scale and sophistication, each location will be supported by a software-enabled backend where stores can be efficiently managed by a regional manager and impact shared with donors and partners alike.

Shelter Depot was created to be an adaptable solution to fit in any refugee camp context. We started with our pilot in Uganda, but the problems remain the same in refugee camps around the world. The adaptability of Shelter Depot comes in with the community’s input into sustainable solutions using stabilizing housing products and offering economic opportunities. Every Shelter is creating a brand new ecosystem to support the physical as well as fiscal needs of refugees for the long haul; a more holistic, localized method that puts refugees at the center of their own recovery. 

Shelter Depot started as a pilot in the Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement in the northwest part of Uganda close to the South Sudan border. Our second location will be located on the other side of the country in the Nakivale Settlement. The Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement comprises roughly 180,000 refugees most of whom fled from violence from neighboring countries. Worldwide 114 million people are displaced. What we do in Uganda has the ability to adapt and grow wherever refugees are. 

What if instead of people living with no opportunities to improve their economic prosperity were given a chance to work for credit and earn a certificate? What if instead of spending time and resources on handouts they may or may not need, we could give refugees stability in their homes within their camps and the chance to economically flourish? 

Our model is designed to break the cycle of dependency that traditional humanitarian aid perpetuates. We're not just providing handouts, we're creating jobs and supporting local economies. By operating at a profit, we're able to ensure that our stores can last over time, creating sustainable solutions for communities in need.

Work for credit opportunities within Shelter Depot are designed to operate with local autonomy with the ability to respond to the unique needs of the community around it. In order for a Shelter Depot to succeed, the community around it either finds value in our offerings, or they decide not to opt in. With this model, refugees now have purchasing power instead of being handed goods with no value or usefulness in their everyday lives.

Scott Key, Every Shelter CEO, has worked in the refugee shelter goods space since his time in his master’s degree program at Rice University in 2012. Scott and his partner Sam Brisendine (Every Shelter Board Member) worked towards providing Syrian refugees on the border of Syria and Lebanon with a modular shelter flooring system they created called Emergency Floor.

Loise Wanjohi is our Team Lead and Director of Programs & Operations in East Africa. She has worked for Every Shelter in Uganda since 2021. She oversees both Shelter Depot and our other project, Shelter Workshop: Uganda which produces tarps from used billboard vinyl ultimately to be used for refugee shelters. She lives and works in Kampala, Uganda.

Phyllis Tsang is a licensed architect who leverages her experiences from the private and humanitarian sectors, delivering shelter, education, healthcare, and institutional projects in countries like Ethiopia, Haiti, India, Lebanon, and Uganda, where she also lived for two years.  Before joining the Every Shelter Uganda team as the Shelter Research and Design Lead, she was serving as the Technical Advisor for a Greek NGO that operates inside the refugee reception centers on the islands of Lesvos and Samos.

Juan Emmanuela Zamba is a Programs and Operations Assistant at Every Shelter in Uganda. Born into a family that fled the Civil War in Sudan in the 1950s, Emmanuela is passionate about sustainable development and humanitarian interventions, with a soft spot for vulnerable groups. She attained a bachelor’s degree in Human Rights, Peace, and Humanitarian Interventions from Uganda Christian University with First Class Honors and has worked with Every Shelter since September 2023. In addition to supporting the general operation of Every Shelter in Uganda, she oversees the production work at the Shelter Workshop, where the production of shelter goods like Bashebora are made.

Juuko Frank is a Program and Operations Assistant at Every Shelter in Uganda. He holds a  bachelor's degree in Agribusiness Management as well as five years of working experience in Administration and Humanitarian work. Currently Frank is spearheading the piloting of a flooring solution in the Refugee settlement. Frank is  so passionate about working and creating a positive impact in the lives of the marginalized groups just like he is  doing with the refugees at Every Shelter through Shelter Depot.

Shelter Depot started as a pilot in the Bidibidi Refugee Settlement in the northwest part of Uganda close to the South Sudan border. The Bidibidi Refugee Settlement was recently the 2nd largest refugee settlement in the world. It includes roughly  200,000 refugees, most of whom fled from violence in South Sudan. Women and children make up 84% of Bidibidi’s population. Because of Bidibidi’s remote location, receiving goods and services or finding work options is limited. Shelter Depot was designed to give the refugees and local Ugandans the dignity of choice and an inclusive economy. 

To date we have served 1,049 people at the store, employed 44 through our work for credit opportunities, have 54 people currently in our WFC, and have a waiting list of 98 people. We are currently building a second location in Nakivale to serve the refugees who have fled from conflicts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, and Rwanda.

Refugee camps and settlements are highly regulated and bureaucratic settings.There are many gatekeepers and well-meaning policies with unintended consequences that stifle innovation and individual flourishing. A leading academic as it relates to identifying both problems and solutions in this space, Dr. Alexander Betts, has referred to them as “warehouses for people” in the sense that they act like purgatories. Basic needs may be met, but human potential and dignity languishes.

The fact that the first Shelter Depot is operational is no small miracle. It took four years of research and persistence to sort through the red tape and win over gatekeepers. All this is to say that systemic change by disrupting the system of one time temporary aid by offering work for credit and creating a new economy in this space is extremely challenging and learning from other successful systems entrepreneurs through Solve will be a game changer for growing this concept in its complex environs.

The underlying truth behind the Shelter Depot concept is that refugees are already market participants. As intractable housing issues continue to increase and constrained aid budgets continue to tighten, we need to disrupt the status quo of the current refugee aid system. Shelter Depot is a model that illustrates how stable housing options, dignity of choice, and opportunities for economic growth in a manner that is nimble and responsive to the real time needs of refugees is critical to the refugee aid sector in a time where the refugee crisis is only growing. 

The nature of displacement has changed dramatically since the 1950’s. It is rare for a contemporary displacement event to not evolve from an “emergency response” into a “protracted crisis.” On average a person displaced today will stay so for over two decades. If a displacement crisis had the early advantage of catching the attention of the global media, that spotlight fades quickly. This new, but common “protracted” phenomenon necessitates the need for strategies that exit “aid” and adopt “development” strategies to stretch budgets. This constraint is an opportunity to reimagine old systems and build a refugee-led approach. 

Refugees deserve the dignity of work. Self-esteem and self-worth go up when people are allowed to work. You feel like you are a contributing member of your own life, your home, and your community. Shelter Depot provides an opportunity to work through work for credit. Not only can refugees work for credit, but they can earn a certificate in the process. Certification can lead to additional work options. Shelter Depot has already proven refugees want to work. In Bidibidi there is a waitlist with 98 people wanting and waiting to work.

There is decency that comes with choice. It is impossible to anticipate each household’s specific needs. Each household knows what it needs. Shelter Depot allows each household to make their own decisions. If you and I were to walk into a Home Depot at the same time, we would both go to different aisles. Why? Because our homes have different needs. If you are only given the hose I need for my house, but not the light bulbs you need for yours, that hose given to you would go to waste. Not only that, but you would probably feel frustrated because you already have a hose at your house. You were handed a solution that does not solve your specific problem of no light after the sun goes down. Refugees have unique housing needs. If they can address their own housing requirements and achieve a stable house, then we know from Professor Matthew Desmond’s research that this is the basis for humans to flourish.

Shelter Depot fundamentally seeks to improve the efficacy of existing refugee aid sector goals as an alternative, evidence-based distribution model. It is the agency-imparting alternative to traditional in-kind aid distributions. It is ultimately about market access, responsive and nimble solution models, localization of goods production, and a vehicle for micro-financing and product subsidization.

Our mission is to build localized refugee-aid ecosystems centered around the needs (stability), preferences (agency), and aspirations (opportunity) of refugees.

Activities: Refugees purchase an item needed to improve their shelter.

Outputs: Their shelter is improved and their family can live in a clean, safe environment where it is easier to flourish.

Short Term Outcomes: Refugees gain stability in their shelters. 

Long Term Outcomes: Refugees have their needs met.

Activities: Refugees find employment through work for credit opportunities. 

Outputs: They earn items needed for their unique household and certifications for other employment.

Short Term Outcomes: Refugees have meaningful jobs.

Long Term Outcomes: Refugees can further their economic prosperity with their newly acquired skills and have their aspirations to work met.

1 year goal: Successfully launch Shelter Depot in Nakivale and reach breakeven.

Indicators to measure success: Shelter Depot in Nakivale has successfully launched once it offers work for credit (WFC) opportunities, certifications, provides items specifically requested by the population in Nakivale, and creates revenue to the point that the store can become self-sustaining.

Impact: Shelter Depot provides refugees in Nakivale who are fleeing conflicts in the DRC Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, and Rwanda with opportunities to work and earn certification (UN Goal 8). By providing shelter materials not easily available because the walk is impossibly long, unsafe, or they lack necessary transportation, Shelter Depot gives Nakivale refugees access to better quality materials making their settlement more inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable (UN Goal 11). The ability to work and the dignity of choosing what your family needs speaks to Shelter Depot’s ability to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages (UN Goal 3). Finally, since Shelter Depot offers WFC opportunities to improve the local community and ecosystem (for example, tree planting), it will have a significant impact on UN Goal 15.

5 year goals: Be within walking distance of every refugee in Uganda

Indicators to measure success: Our goal is to have Shelter Depot in each of the 13 refugee settlements in Uganda. To go even further, we want to be in every zone of every refugee settlement in Uganda. 

Impact: All refugees deserve access to decent work opportunities as well as the shelter products they need most. By disseminating Shelter Depot to every part of Uganda, Shelter Depot can become a catalyst for refugees fleeing conflict in neighboring countries to have healthy lives (UN Goal 3), opportunities for economic growth (UN Goal 8), have safer and more inclusive communities (UN Goal 11), and protect the land around their settlements (UN Goal 15).

Technology is all around refugee camps and settlements, but rarely makes it inside. Shelter Depot breaks down the barriers of entry to make these technologies readily available to people who need it most. 

Work for credit provided access to items available at Shelter Depot. The items available at Shelter Depot use technology to improve the lives of refugees. Things like clean cookstoves have been around since the 1950s. This technology drastically reduces the amount of wood consumption and transfers heat to a cooking pot more efficiently. Solar lighting brings light into dark houses who otherwise do not have access to electricity. Local knowledge like how to use African Fan Palms can use the innovations and ideas of people in Uganda to solve the failing roof problem we often see in camps.

Shelter Depot’s non-traditional pathways to ownership supply people like Mary, a hardworking mom who wanted to make and sell cooking charcoal, a chance to earn an income for her family. By accessing the items at her nearby Shelter Depot, she went from borrowing an ax from a neighbor (if it was available), to owning her own ax. Now she can have reliable use of an ax for her business that brings additional income to her family.

As a non profit, we use Microsoft BI for the data dashboard (everyshelter.org/bidibididata password: BidiBidi2023!). Collecting data is paramount to ensure the offerings available at Shelter Depot are in demand.

Full Time: 8

Part Time: 2

The idea originated in 2019 with plans to begin the project in the summer of 2020. Due to COVID, our plans were delayed. We began again in 2022 and opened the first Shelter Depot in February of 2023. We are ready to open a new Shelter Depot in June of 2024.

Diversity: With our work, diversity is a welcome necessity. Working together is how Every Shelter makes an impact that will last a lifetime. Each store’s staff and its leadership reflects the community it exists in. Shelter Depot is a framework.

Equity: Everyone has the equal opportunity to thrive at Every Shelter. Shelter Depot levels economic playing fields with non-traditional pathways to ownership.

Inclusion: We want to hear and learn from everyone in the Every Shelter sphere. We want to have solutions that are an actual benefit to people. Shelter Depot structurally cannot succeed if we do not present a value to the community.

In simplistic terms, Shelter Depot is a hardware store in a refugee camp. As such it brings products and services that strike a balance of utility, desirability, and value to its customers, refugees and local Ugandans (like Lowes or Home Depot might in their context). Shelter Depot is a market-based alternative to emergency aid which in its context has long since disappeared.

Much like a Lowes in the Southern US wouldn’t carry snow-blowers, Shelter Depots are able to adapt to carry only products that match the contextual needs of the refugees in each given setting. In our pilot store, we carry basics like nails, sustainably harvested poles, upcycled tarpaulins, and jerry cans. We also are growing our inventory to carry products that may be less known, but highly desirable to our customers such as solar lighting, clean cookstoves, sustainable cooking fuels, and goods created by Ugandan NGO’s like home goods and roofing materials made from palm fronds. Since it is a retail setting, goods that don’t strike the balance of utility / desirability / value do not sell. In essence, this is an extremely compelling version of impact measurement. Because these offerings are not free (they cost money or time), if we don’t offer the right balance, the store doesn’t succeed.

Our customers are displaced people and local host country citizens. What they share in common is a lack of proximity to marketplaces that might sell similar goods. They are easily qualified in any global measurement of poverty. They all have housing and living frustrations and desire improvements. They are market participants in many facets of their lives.

We service these customers by creating market-based access to life-changing physical goods and services. By access we mean; proximity (bringing goods close), capital (providing non-traditional pathways to ownership), knowledge (educating and training on impactful options), and platforming (retailing the goods of locals and refugees). The goods are showcased and sold in “brick and mortar” settings within walking distance of our customers with product delivery options available for larger goods. 

To date, the most popular aspect of the stores are our Work for Credit (WFC) opportunities (one of the non-traditional pathways of ownership). Whether a customer does not have cash or would prefer to preserve their cash reserves, each good is priced in terms of fiat currency or days of work required. Customers can see the work opportunities available to them at that time and sign up if that suits them. To date we have 10 customers waitlisted for every 1 WFC opportunity and are working to expand this oversubscribed aspect of our business. We have found a compelling Venn Diagram overlap with carbon offsetting and its marketplace whereby we are increasingly able to offer WFC opportunities growing trees paid for by partners facilitating investments. These externalized sources of funds are a revenue engine for Shelter Depot.

Our ever increasing donor base is quickly covering our overhead expenses. We have hired a grants manager in the fall of 2022 to pursue grants at all levels, including governmental grants.  We also sell products through Shelter Depot. The plan is for Shelter Depot to become a self sustaining model much like any other business. With individual donors, organizational donors, grants, and the self-sustaining model of Shelter Depot, we are committed to maintaining a diverse revenue stream.