Urgent Shelter Rehabilitation for Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon

Support for refugees in Lebanon forced to flee the Syria Conflict and who took refuge in Lebanon

Lebanon is hosting more than one million Syrian refugees and 45,000 Palestinian refugees from Syria (PRS). Most of the PRS have been in Lebanon for several years now and so any cash or assets they may have had are long gone.

A recent study highlighted that 75% of PRS families are in need of clothes, 70% need blankets and 40.5% need shelter assistance. 

These families are forced to find shelter wherever they can; generally structurally unsafe, unhygienic and poorly maintained shelters lacking basic water and sanitation facilities and in overcrowded and poor conditions. UN data indicates that in PRS households, on average, each bedroom is shared by 4.6 people while each bathroom is shared by 8.4 people. 

Securing safe housing is one of the most urgent challenges with an ever-dwindling stock of affordable and adequate housing, and the United Nations recently ended rent subsidies for PRS. The vast majority of PRS have taken refuge in the 12 Palestinian refugee camps and 39 informal gatherings throughout Lebanon. 

In the last 6 years Welfare Association has completed a number of shelter rehabilitation projects for PRS in these refugee camps and is planning to do further work to meet urgent needs in Burj El Barajneh Camp and Shatilla Camp in Beirut. The works will include:

• Updating water and sanitation facilities for improved health and hygiene.
• Rewiring the electricity for safety and ensuring the provision of hot water and basic cooking facilities.
• Repairing roofing, doors and windows, for weatherproofing, security and privacy.

It costs approximately £1500 to do the basic repairs and updates on each shelter, and some shelters are accommodating up to three families.