The guidance provided here sets out CRS’ process for assessment of needs and design of shelter & settlements projects. It includes examples of tools developed in a range of contexts that may provide a useful foundation for new shelter and settlements interventions.
The process and tools will need to be adapted to the specific context in which you are working. Please contact a member of CRS’ Humanitarian Shelter & Settlements team directly if you require technical support or guidance in tailoring the project design process to meet your needs.
The core project design process steps detailed in this section are:
1) Shelter & Settlement Assessments
Assessments will be dependent on the context and the time and resources available, as such, the guidance provided here should be looked upon as a flexible model with the option to utilize different elements of the process as appropriate.
Please contact a member of CRS’ Humanitarian Shelter & Settlements team directly if you require technical support or guidance in tailoring the assessment process to meet your needs.
CRS promotes an integrated approach to programming, acknowledging that the needs of communities are not limited by sector. As such it is highly recommended to follow a multi-sectoral approach when undertaking assessments.
1.1 Preparation: The objective of this step is to facilitate coordinated, geographic targeting and preparation for the rapid needs assessment. It will require coordination with Government, partners and other humanitarian actors, to gather secondary data and understand the structure of the response and humanitarian needs.
1.2 Rapid Needs Assessment: The objective of this step is to, whenever possible, engage with the affected population to identify the most appropriate assistance options based on need. It will require an initial appraisal of the situation and identification of the immediate and potential ongoing humanitarian needs at the community level. This step is best performed as part of a multi-sectoral assessment with WASH being an integral component of the assessment.
1.3 Shelter Option Feasibility Assessments: The objective of this step is to assess the feasibility of proposed assistance options within the local context. It may require: Rapid market assessments; Tenure Security assessment; Environmental Risk Assessment.
1.4 Detailed Assessment: The objective of this step is to complete damage assessments at the household/infrastructure level to develop specific program targets, detailed budgets and the overall program of works. Note, this step may come before or after the development of the response strategy and the proposal development depending on the time and resources available.
2) S&S Planning / Project Design
2.1 Response Strategy: A Response Strategy is necessary to to explain the logical connection between the context analysis and the technical assistance options and the implementation modality options, identifying what the team is best placed to provide in the short to medium term.
2.2 Assistance Options: This section provides an overview of the different technical options available and their suitability in a range of contexts to help field teams select the most appropriate shelter interventions.
2.3 Implementation Options: This section provides an overview of the different implementation options available. The implementation option influences the quality, timing, scale of delivery and cost. These options should be reviewed when the preferred assistance options are identified and should feed into the Response Strategy.
2.4 Staffing: According to the assistance options and the selected implementation options appropriate staffing structure should be designed. Consider timing, and scale of outputs required. The team structure will be different if implementing through owner driven construction or if a contractor is commissioned. This section is extracted from the CRS Managing Post-Disaster (Re)-Construction Projects, How to Guide, 2011.