Responding to the January 12th earthquake, Shelter2Home’s Haiti subsidiary will collaborate with international aid agencies, U.S. and the Haitian governments to help meet the needs of millions of Haitians displaced by the disaster. The venture will establish a rapid-response capacity to construct emergency shelters which can be converted to permanent homes.
The company has been working in Haiti since December, 2008, to establish an in-country manufacturing, job training, housing and micro-mortgage program. Shelter2Home has already established a partnership with an orphanage in Les Cayes, PWOJE ESPWA SUD, to implement the first phase of its job training program. Shelter2Home Technology was developed in partnership with STUCC ON STEEL (SOS) Building Systems, LLC of Winchester, and the nonprofit REACH (Reconstruction Efforts Aiding Children without Homes), originally established by builder Donald Stevens. Stevens first introduced the technology in Sri Lanka after the 2004 South Asian tsunami. With volunteer support and contributions from Virginia, he has spent nearly five years perfecting the home design, manufacturing techniques and public-private sector collaboration strategies. “We did not find one emergency shelter or temporary housing solution that could convert into a permanent home,” he said after visiting Sri Lanka numerous times. “There was no clear way to transition a tsunami refugee from a tent to a decent shelter and then to a permanent home that was cost-effective, culturally viable or one that conserved resources,” said Stevens. “As a result we saw so many natural and financial resources wasted. These are all lessons we can apply in Haiti and other disaster situations.” Shelter2Home has developed an emergency shelter that can be transitioned into an environmentally friendly, permanent home that is highly resistant to earthquake, hurricane, flood, fire and termites. After large-scale disasters, traditional construction techniques often cause massive shortages of building supplies, especially wood. All of the components of Shelter2Home’s emergency shelters are used when the home is converted, so there no waste. Basic one- and two- room shelters can be expanded to include an additional living room, bathroom, kitchen, covered porches and other amenities. Shelters can be quickly erected by homeowners in temporary locations. Once long-term reconstruction efforts begin, the structure can be moved to a permanent site. Stevens is now negotiating with international and local authorities in Haiti and in the Dominican Republic to establish the capacity to produce hundreds, perhaps thousands of homes.(Winchester, Virginia) Shelter2Home, a Winchester-based business with a unique approach to post-disaster shelter and safe, affordable housing, is gearing up for a major initiative in Haiti.
