Inter-Agency Coordination Lebanon: Guidelines for the Rehabilitation of Sub-Standard Buildings (SSB)

As the Syrian Crisis continues, conditions are deteriorating for many of the most vulnerable affected households. As demonstrated by the latest UNHCR Shelter Survey in March 2015, there has been a substantial and continuing increase in the number of Syrian Refugees living in physically substandard conditions, resulting in considerable increases in health, protection, and economic vulnerabilities amongst the affected populations. This has been strained by Government of Lebanon (GoL) communications in January 2015 requiring refugees to pledge not to work as a condition of renewing their residency documentation and new regulations that require refugee households to submit a housing pledge, signed by the owner, stating that they have accommodation. Given these hardships, occupancy free of charge or rent reduction, for a defined period, along with tenure security is one of the key forms of assistance agencies can provide to vulnerable refugee households.

The creativity and adaptability of agencies working in different social and economic contexts in Lebanon is a sectoral strength, however, the harmonisation of principles and minimum shelter standards is required to ensure a quality service to beneficiaries. These guidelines form the main reference document for agencies intending to implement Rehabilitation of Sub-Standard Buildings in accordance with the inter-agency Shelter Sector Strategy.

This document was developed by a Temporary Technical Committee chaired by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) with contributions from ACTED, CHF, CISP, Concern Worldwide, Danish Refugee Council, Handicap International, International Committee of the Red Cross, PU-AMI, Save the Children, SI, Swiss Solidarity, UN-Habitat, and UNHCR.