Something that provides help or support needed for survival

It provided a windbreak for crops, and shelter for animals, as well as protecting against the cattle of others.

The typhoon in 1994 was suciently late for that planting to curtail but not to annul net returns to the rain shelters.

Doing so may have removed a real increase in such events as participants aged into more responsible roles and less familial sheltering from stress.

Anti-predator defence mechanisms may have evolved during the process that enabled these tadpole species to occupy large permanent streams, which often shelter predatory fishes.

In his prime a man is legally responsible for providing his minor children with food, shelter, and clothing.

Basic needs are requirements for physical survival as a biological human being, like water, food, shelter and safety.

During those years, military hierarchy remained strong, as it was consciously sheltered from government.

First, houses in non-modern societies are more than physical structures for shelter.

Many of those who remained sought permanent shelter in the air raid bunkers.

Older people do not want to be made to move to a poky sheltered housing unit with neighbours they did not choose.

This level of protection or shelter under diplomatic immunity did not exist for the majority of the individuals escaping from repression.

He wrote therefore that he "never knew the shelter of a roof between four or five o'clock in the morning till seven in the evening".

The cylinders were kept outside, beneath a shelter.

Once the initial practical difficulties had been ironed out, there were decent facilities for medical care, education, and religion as well as food and shelter.

Elements such as roofs, gables and windows are likely to be dictated by the structure's primary function - providing shelter and light to the building's occupants.

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

Such pressures over the past two decades have opened the way for greater associational participation in the bread-and-butter struggles of local politics.

It should be a graceful concoction—a soufflé rather than a bread-and-butter pudding.

In their support role, will local education authorities also be given a monitoring role on that bread-and-butter side of education standards in schools?

I should not like to say that a hard-and-fast line can be drawn between the bread-and-butter side of this and the cultural side.

It is often said that people are not particularly interested in that policy sphere, as it does not deal with bread-and-butter issues.

I want to concentrate on the bread-and-butter issues that concern my constituents.

The sooner we set about solving these bread-and-butter problems the sooner this design, which must be brought about, will take shape.

All of those are bread-and-butter decisions for most local authorities.

I am talking about our bread-and-butter tourists, not about the flashy conference tourists who never come back.

I turn, briefly, to the bread-and-butter issues of politics.

In many ordinary bread-and-butter car designs we are also pre-eminent.

This situation has caused political apathy and a lack of focus on the crucial issues facing our daily lives—in other words, bread-and-butter issues.

Their very bread-and-butter is at stake, and, in consequence, the man who goes to work is a man who is helping to defeat them.

I wish to deal not with esoteric matters, but with the bread-and-butter problems that face the frail elderly every day of their lives.

Is he aware that they are already finding it difficult to put up quickly the bread-and-butter buildings, which are already possessed by the older universities?

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

What is it?

Shelter is a basic human need crucial for survival in cases of natural hazards or conflict. It provides security, personal safety and protection from the weather, and prevents ill health and disease.

Adequate housing provides people with dignity and the opportunity to lead a normal life. Shelter plays an essential role in reducing vulnerability and building resilience.

Settlements are not simply safe physical spaces but also socially acceptable and socioeconomically viable living environments.

Why is this important?

Needs for shelter and settlements are increasing. The number of internally displaced people across the globe reached 55 million by the end of 2020, with 40.5 million new displacements, the highest annual figure recorded in a decade.

As of 31 December 2020, worldwide, there were more than double internally displaced people than refugees. Among internally displaced people, 48 million fled conflict and violence, and 7 million from disasters, but these figures could be a significant underestimate of the current situation.

Humanitarian organisations help affected communities through immediate shelter response to a disaster or in anticipation of one. They provide technical support and capacity building, financial assistance (including cash assistance and rental support) and building supplies.

Basic transitional shelter often remains people's only home for many years. These structures usually serve as a foundation for future expanded and reinforced housing.

Building back safer is essential for resilience. In disaster-prone countries, qualified technical support should be linked to capacity building of the local construction industry.

Reliable shelter enforces communities’ resilience and reduces their vulnerability. Shelter is often considered the most important asset in securing their means to earn a living.

How are we helping?

The EU allocates between 7% and 20% of its civil protection and humanitarian aid annual funding for shelter and settlements related humanitarian assistance. This goes along with other complementary ways, such as funding field partners and operations led by the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

Civil protection assistance may take the form of in-kind help. We also deploy specialised response teams and experts in the immediate aftermath of a disaster to complement humanitarian responses.

Building on best practices in the sector, the European Commission published the Humanitarian Shelter and Settlements Guidelines in 2017. The aim is to ensure that vulnerable people’s shelter needs are met in an optimal and efficient way.

These guidelines cover the EU’s Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid shelter policy in natural hazard and conflict settings.

The EU provides humanitarian shelter and settlements support as an immediate response to, or in anticipation of, a disaster.

Due to the importance of adequate housing, the EU may also decide to support shelter in the recovery phase, if the reconstruction or maintenance of shelter and settlements addresses the health, protection or livelihood needs of the affected population.

The EU also supports the Global Shelter Cluster, a coordination mechanism supporting people affected by natural hazards and internally displaced people affected by conflict. They receive the means to live in safe, dignified and appropriate shelter.

Last updated: 24/01/2022
Picture: © European Union, 2021

Facts & figures

55 million internally displaced people across the world at the end of 2020, of which:

48 million people internally displaced as a result of conflict and violence in 59 countries 

7 million people internally displaced by disasters across 104 countries 

(IDMC Global Report on Internal Displacement 2021)

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Shelter and settlements

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