Better Shelter

What Better Shelter does

Better Shelter is a Swedish nonprofit humanitarian organization headquartered in Hägersten, Stockholm. Founded in 2010 in collaboration with the IKEA Foundation and UNHCR, the organization designs and supplies modular, flat-pack temporary shelters for displaced populations and emergency-response operations worldwide. As of recent reporting, it has delivered more than 93,250 shelters across 90+ countries.

The organization's core product is the Relief Housing Unit (RHU), a modular shelter engineered to be transported as flat-pack components and assembled without tools by unskilled labor. The RHU features a rigid steel frame, lockable doors, integrated solar-powered lighting, and a stated lifecycle of approximately five years. In 2021, Better Shelter expanded its portfolio with Structure, a lower-cost solution that supplies the steel frame plus technical specifications while allowing wall and roof infill to be sourced locally, reducing per-unit cost and supporting local procurement. Together these two product lines address different budget tiers within humanitarian shelter demand.

Better Shelter operates as a nonprofit social enterprise rather than a commercial vendor. Revenue is generated through humanitarian procurement contracts, institutional grants, and foundation funding, with the IKEA Foundation as the anchor funder since inception. Distribution occurs almost exclusively through institutional humanitarian partners — primarily UNHCR, IFRC, Red Cross/Red Crescent societies, Save the Children, and similar bodies — rather than through commercial sales channels. The organization maintains a small core team (reportedly 11–50 employees) and has begun broadening its funding base with the launch of the Better Fund in 2025.

Name

Better Shelter

Legal name

Better Shelter RHU AB

Website

https://bettershelter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Better Shelter is a Swedish nonprofit that designs and supplies modular flat-pack emergency shelters for displaced populations, serving humanitarian organizations such as UNHCR and the Red Cross across 90+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Shelter Products

NAICS

Temporary Shelters (624221), Community Housing Services (62422), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Emergency Shelter, NFIs & Winterization for Displaced Populations (BPADAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Emergency Shelter, Camp Management & Non-Food Items (NFI) (BPAGAAAC), Emergency Shelter, Camp Coordination & Camp Management (CCCM) (BPADADAB), Homelessness Prevention, Shelter & Supportive Housing Services (BPAIANAC)

Keywords

• Humanitarian shelter systems
• Emergency relief housing
• Modular flat-pack shelters
• Displacement response solutions
• Temporary housing units

Headquarters

HQ city

Hägersten

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Shelter Donations and Grants: Better Shelter operates as a non-profit organization. Revenue comes from donations, grants, and funding from foundations, governments, corporations, and individuals. The organization mobilizes resources to fund shelter, education, health, and protection projects for displaced populations.
2. Partnership Funding: Funding from strategic partners including IKEA Foundation, corporate CSR/ESG programs, and humanitarian organization grants to support shelter deployment and operational costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Better Shelter designs, manufactures, and supplies modular flat-pack emergency shelters for people displaced by conflict and natural disasters. Its two product lines are the Relief Housing Unit (RHU), a temporary home assembled without tools in hours and equipped with lockable doors and solar-powered lamps, and Structure, a low-cost shelter that pairs a prefabricated steel frame with locally available materials such as bamboo or wattle and daub so units can be deployed immediately and upgraded over time. Shelters are deployed through partnerships with UN agencies, NGOs, and humanitarian field organizations, and serve as housing, clinics, classrooms, and community spaces.

Product overview

Better Shelter provides humanitarian shelter solutions through two main product lines: the Relief Housing Unit (RHU) and Structure. The RHU is the original flat-pack modular shelter that can be assembled quickly without tools, equipped with lockable doors and solar-powered lamps, serving as temporary homes, clinics, classrooms, and community spaces. Structure is a newer, more cost-effective shelter that combines a robust steel frame with locally-sourced materials, allowing for immediate emergency deployment with gradual upgrades over time. Both products are designed for humanitarian organizations, UN agencies, and NGOs responding to displacement caused by conflict and natural disasters. The company operates as a social enterprise, reinvesting profits into humanitarian work.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Structure: A low-cost emergency shelter that can be upgraded with local materials. Developed for contexts where local materials are available, Structure combines a prefabricated modular frame with locally driven shelter programs. It provides immediate protection in emergencies and can be transformed into transitional shelter using locally available materials.

Products and services

• Relief Housing Unit (RHU) Modular flat-pack temporary shelter that can be assembled in a few hours without tools or electricity. Every unit comes with a lockable steel door and a solar-powered lamp. Used as homes, clinics, classrooms, and community spaces for displaced populations worldwide. Distributed through partnerships with UNHCR, Red Cross, Save the Children, IOM, UNDP, and other humanitarian organizations.
• Structure Low-cost emergency shelter combining a prefabricated modular steel frame with locally-driven shelter programs. The robust steel frame from Better Shelter can be transformed into an emergency shelter in hours by draping it in standard-sized tarpaulin sheets, and upgraded over time using locally available materials such as bamboo or wattle and daub. Designed to avoid unnecessary import of materials and enable community adaptation in displacement contexts.

Quantifiable outcome

• 93,250 shelters delivered, improving conditions for over 466,250 people in 90 countries
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary humanitarian implementation partner. UNHCR uses Better Shelter units globally for refugee housing, clinics, and community spaces. Signed frame agreement for 30,000 shelters in 2015. Joint development of shelter solutions for humanitarian contexts.
• Swedish Red CrosscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerKey implementation partner for shelter deployment, particularly in Sweden during COVID-19 response. Collaboration on humanitarian operations including information centers and COVID-19 support.
• SEEDS IndiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLongstanding partner for disaster response in India. Joint projects include Structure shelter testing in Kerala, education facilities in Delhi, and community resilience programs.
• International Organization for Migration (IOM)majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership for refugee and migrant shelter operations. Provided shelter frames to IOM for Sudanese refugees in Chad and other displacement responses.
• Save the ChildrenmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHumanitarian partner for shelter projects supporting displaced children and families, including operations in Sudan.
• Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for COVID-19 rapid response centers in Pakistan and Central Asia. Joint development of Structure shelter adaptations for high mountain environments in Afghanistan and Tajikistan.
• UNDPmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership for youth employment programs and development projects including Bangladesh education initiative.
• Bonyan OrganizationmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSyria partner for education initiatives. 92 RHUs serve as temporary classrooms enabling 6,250 children to attend school.
• Terre des HommesminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEducation initiatives partner in Iraq using shelters as temporary learning spaces in schools.
• El Minuto de DiosminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerColombia partner for shelter projects supporting homes, classrooms, and community life.
• International Humanitarian Relief (IHR)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner for Syria earthquake emergency response, providing transitional shelter centers.
• Polish Humanitarian Action (PAH)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner for Syria earthquake emergency response with transitional centers in Idlib and Aleppo.
• SAPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate strategic partner supporting humanitarian operations through technology and resources.
• Watan FoundationminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSyria partner for transitional shelter in settlements, operating camps in Idlib Governorate.
• Maram FoundationminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSyria partner for shelter operations in camps across different regions.
• Turkish Red CrescentminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner for 2023 earthquake response, distributing shelters to affected areas in Syria.
• Swedish Red CrosscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerActive implementation partner for shelter deployment and COVID-19 response in Sweden.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ShelterBox: ShelterBox is a UK-headquartered humanitarian charity that provides emergency shelter and essential supplies to families displaced by disaster and conflict. It is the closest direct peer to Better Shelter, competing for the same institutional and donor funding pool and deploying temporary shelters (typically tents rather than modular units) to displaced populations worldwide.
• UNHCR Innovation Service: UNHCR's Innovation Service identifies, develops, and scales innovative solutions for refugees including shelter, energy, and connectivity. It is both a key customer of Better Shelter and a peer in the sense of driving technology-enabled humanitarian shelter innovation globally.

Broad incumbents

• UN-Habitat: UN-Habitat is the United Nations programme for human settlements, addressing housing and sustainable urban development globally. It is a broad incumbent that overlaps with Better Shelter's mission of providing adequate shelter, though it operates through policy advocacy and technical assistance rather than physical product deployment.
• IOM (International Organization for Migration): IOM is the UN migration agency and a core customer of Better Shelter, deploying shelters to migrants and refugees globally. As a buyer-side peer, it operates camp management, displacement response, and shelter programming at much larger scale, making it both a customer and a comparable humanitarian shelter organization.
• Habitat for Humanity International: Habitat for Humanity is a global nonprofit housing organization that builds affordable homes and supports community-led shelter programs. While focused on long-term/permanent housing rather than emergency shelter, it addresses overlapping end-user populations and competes for similar donor funding and corporate CSR partnerships.
• Norwegian Refugee Council: Norwegian Refugee Council is a major humanitarian NGO providing shelter, education, and emergency response to refugees and displaced people. It is a comparable institutional buyer and operator in the emergency shelter space, frequently partnering with or alongside Better Shelter in displacement responses.
• IFRC (International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies): IFRC is the world's largest humanitarian network, coordinating shelter response globally with National Red Cross societies. It is both a customer of Better Shelter (Swedish Red Cross partnership) and a comparable umbrella organization funding and deploying emergency shelter at scale.
• Mercy Corps: Mercy Corps is a major global humanitarian NGO that operates shelter programs and emergency response in conflict and disaster zones. It is a comparable humanitarian organization with overlapping donor base and programmatic overlap in shelter deployment, particularly in MENA and Sub-Saharan Africa.
• World Vision International: World Vision is a large global humanitarian and development organization providing emergency shelter, child protection, and resilience programming. It competes for similar institutional funding and serves overlapping beneficiary populations, particularly in protracted displacement contexts.

Emerging players

• Emergency Architecture & Humanity (EAH): EAH is a humanitarian architecture nonprofit that provides emergency and transitional shelter design solutions for displaced populations. As an emerging player, it competes in the same design-driven humanitarian shelter niche as Better Shelter with comparable project-based deployments and donor-funded model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/better-shelter
• Xx.com/better_shelter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Better Shelter