ABOUT US
Better Shelter is a Swedish non-profit organisation dedicated to creating safer, more dignified living conditions for displaced people worldwide.
Hope starts with a home
We started developing shelters in 2010 to provide displaced persons with safety, dignity, and hope on their path towards a more stable life in a permanent home.
We are an independent non-profit based in Sweden, with no political or religious affiliations. We provide displaced people with safe, dignified shelters and a first step toward a more stable life. We deliver shelters from our warehouses in Poland, Türkiye and Panama, in partnership with NGOs, UN agencies, companies, foundations, philanthropists and academic institutions. Guided by the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, we work to protect the most vulnerable and alleviate suffering.
Better Shelter is wholly owned by the Housing for All Foundation*. The Foundation supports Better Shelter’s work by investing in initiatives that develop better housing and promote sustainable development.
To achieve its goals, the foundation focuses on creating and sharing well-designed products, services and knowledge that meet the needs and circumstances of displaced and vulnerable communities.
Its work is guided by three core principles: understanding and responding to the needs and financial realities of the people it serves; collaborating with partners across sectors, including companies, NGOs, government agencies and universities; designing scalable solutions that can make a real difference in people’s lives.
All of the Foundation’s resources are reinvested in efforts that support this mission, whether through Better Shelter or other organisations working toward the same goals.
*The Housing for All Foundation will be renamed the Better Shelter Foundation.
Our theory of change
Our Theory of Change outlines the logic behind our work, how our actions lead from immediate relief to long-term impact.
Vision
A world where displaced people have a safe and dignified place to call home
Our long-term goal
Displaced people live a better everyday life, on their way to a permanent home
What we aim to achieve
Displaced people have a better physical living environment
Displaced people have improved access to social infrastructure
How we contribute
Longer-term funding is secured for humanitarian shelter programmes
The shelters are better, more affordable and designed with improved environmental and health impact
The shelters are available where and when needed, in the right quality and with minimal environmental impact
Almost 100,000 shelters in 90 countries
We deliver shelters globally from warehouses in Poland, Türkiye and Panama. Since 2015, we have provided 93,250 shelters to emergency and development response in 90 countries.
Local and global partners
Together with humanitarian NGOs, UN agencies, foundations and academics, including UNHCR, the IKEA Foundation and the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat, we’ve helped improve life for hundreds of thousands of displaced people.
Media
Our team
Together with our partners, we work every day to support displaced people with safety and dignity.