What Every Shelter does

Every Shelter is a Houston-headquartered 501(c)(3) humanitarian design nonprofit, founded in 2018, that develops shelter systems, building products, and training programs for refugees and displaced people. Its portfolio centers on physical products engineered from locally-available or free materials: Emergency Floor (insulated R4 flooring tiles weighing approximately 0.6 kg that install without tools in under 10 minutes), the Paa Bora A-frame shelter (a one-day-build structure designed to transition into the permanent roof of a brick home), and innovations like cow dung-reinforced bricks that deliver 25% greater dry strength and up to 30x water resistance versus standard mud bricks. Programs include the Brick Mold Lending Program (2,000 molds produced, 1,800+ lent), Design School (a nine-week human-centered design training course for refugees aged 18-30), Shelter Repair Corps, and the Model Village proof-of-concept.

The organization operates a community-led go-to-market model, working through refugee-led organizations such as Wakati Foundation and HYT in Nakivale Refugee Settlement (Uganda) and partnering with UNHCR, USAID, GVC-Italia, IKEA, and the American Refugee Committee for distribution across Uganda, Lebanon, Turkey (manufacturing), and Bangladesh. Field operations are run from Studio Uganda in Mbarara, with a US headquarters at 5127 Fulton St, Houston.

Revenue is primarily philanthropic through one-time donations and the Haven monthly giving program ($30/$50/$100 tiers), supplemented by Emergency Tarp product sales to other humanitarian organizations ($160,000 in 2025) and, beginning in 2026, rental income from the owned Houston headquarters building. Donors include individuals, foundations, and USAID grants. Operating cost efficiency is expected to improve materially in 2026 as rental income reduces officing costs by approximately 75%. Customer segments are individual refugee families (primarily women and children from DRC and South Sudan), individual donors, and institutional humanitarian buyers. Reported impact metrics include a 55% increase in household earnings for refugees trained by Every Shelter and health outcome improvements linked to Emergency Floor deployment.

Name

Every Shelter

Legal name

Every Shelter, Inc.

Website

https://everyshelter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Every Shelter is a Houston-based 501(c)(3) humanitarian design nonprofit that builds shelter systems and training programs for displaced families. It produces Emergency Floor, Paa Bora shelters, and brick mold lending programs, serving refugees in Uganda, Lebanon, Turkey, and Bangladesh.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Shelter Design Services

NAICS

Community Housing Services (62422), Temporary Shelters (624221)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Homelessness Prevention, Shelter & Supportive Housing Services (BPAIANAC), Refugee, Migration & Displacement Support (BPAGABAH), Emergency Shelter, NFIs & Winterization for Displaced Populations (BPADAHAG)

Keywords

• Refugee shelter design
• Humanitarian shelter programs
• Emergency floor systems
• Transitional shelter solutions
• Refugee community development

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Philanthropy: Primary revenue stream. Individual donors contribute through one-time donations and monthly Haven membership program. Organizations and foundations provide grant funding including USAID grants. Every Shelter is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, EIN 83-2501756.
2. Emergency Tarp Product Sales: Revenue generated by selling Emergency Tarp, a rapidly deployable durable tarp made from recycled PVC billboard vinyl for disaster response. In 2025, sold $160k worth of this product to fund operations.
3. Rental Income: Starting in 2026, the organization will generate rental income by leasing office space to aligned organizations in their Houston headquarters building. This is expected to lower officing costs by approximately 75%.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Every Shelter designs, manufactures, and deploys shelter systems and building products for refugees living in long-term displacement settlements. Its portfolio includes the Emergency Floor insulated tile system, the Paa Bora transitionable A-frame shelter, and the Bashe Bora recycled billboard vinyl tarp, paired with community programs such as Brick Mold Lending, Design School, Shelter Repair Corps, and the Model Village. The organization is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that operates field programs in Uganda, Lebanon, and Bangladesh alongside Refugee-Led Organizations.

Product overview

Every Shelter is a humanitarian design non-profit organization that offers a portfolio of shelter solutions and programs for refugees. The core product offerings include Emergency Floor (insulated flooring system), Paa Bora (transitionable emergency shelter), and the Emergency Tarp/Bashe Bora (recycled billboard tarp). These are complemented by training and supply programs including Brick Mold Lending, Design School, Shelter Repair, and Model Village. Design School serves as an incubator for refugee-led innovations including cow dung bricks, water filters, mosquito-proofing systems, GBV alert tools, and plastic roof patches. All programs follow a Do-Train-Exit approach where Every Shelter builds, tests, and adapts solutions before transferring ownership to refugee-led organizations. The organization operates as a 501(c)(3) non-profit headquartered in Houston, TX.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Emergency Floor: A quickly deployable, lightweight, insulated flooring system for winterization efforts. Reduces heating fuel expenses by up to 20%, reduces parasitic infections by 78%, diarrhea by 49%, and anemia by 81%.
• Paa Bora
• Brick Mold Lending Program
• Design School
• Shelter Repair Corps
• Model Village
• The Haven
• Bashe Bora

Products and services

• Emergency Floor A quickly deployable, lightweight, insulated flooring system designed for winterization in refugee shelters. Each tile weighs approximately 0.6 kg, covers 0.5 m², and provides R4 insulative value; installs without tools in under 10 minutes and can be cut with utility knives for custom fit. For humanitarian organizations and refugee families; reduces heating fuel expenses by up to 20%, parasitic infections by 78%, diarrhea by 49%, and anemia by 81%.
• Paa Bora Shelter A higher quality emergency shelter (Swahili for 'Better Roof') that goes up in a single day as an A-frame built from locally available eucalyptus poles and Duro-Last membrane, then engineers to transition to the family's permanent brick home where the timber frame and membrane become the roof. Built and gifted to refugee families by Every Shelter.
• Emergency Tarp / Bashe Bora A multi-year rapidly deployable tarp made from discarded billboard vinyl (recycled PVC), Swahili name 'Bashe Bora' meaning 'Better Tarp'. Sold as a product to humanitarian organizations and NGOs for disaster response and to fund Every Shelter operations.
• Brick Mold Lending Program A free brick mold lending system distributed through the Shelter Depot outpost at the Juru open-air market in Nakivale Refugee Settlement. Removes the single biggest financial barrier to permanent housing by lending brick molds (which cost $3 to produce but rent for up to $100) free of charge. For refugee families and community cooperatives; supports self-organized production groups and women-led construction.
• Design School A nine-week intensive human-centered design course training young refugees aged 18–30 to identify community problems, build solutions, test, and iterate. Developed in partnership with Opportunigee. Produces working prototypes including reinforced mud bricks with cow dung, water filtration systems, mosquito-proofing, GBV prevention tools, and plastic roof patches. Free for refugee students in Uganda.
• Shelter Repair Program (Shelter Repair Corps) A program that trains refugees in hands-on construction skills through real shelter repair projects (roof re-cladding, structural fixes, door and window improvements) with a transition toward a cost-sharing, fee-for-service model. For refugee families with deteriorating shelters in settlements.
• Model Village A proof of concept for high-density, village-style refugee housing that replaces individual plots with duplex clusters, shared walls, communal gardens, and water infrastructure. Combines shelter construction with food security (1.25-acre demonstration garden) and livelihood creation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Refugees trained by Every Shelter increase household earnings by 55% on average
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• IKEAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with IKEA has validated Every Shelter's design methodology and human-centered approach. IKEA's involvement has helped establish credibility for the organization's shelter innovation work.
• Wakati FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRefugee-Led Organization (RLO) and key implementation partner. Wakati Foundation provides technical guidance in building techniques and brick mold fabrication training. They are consistently present during training and repair work, ensuring quality control and local construction knowledge transfer. The organization also leads the Shelter Depot brick mold lending operations.
• OpportunigeecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment partner for Design School program. Opportunigee brings design expertise to the nine-week human-centered design training program for young refugees in Nakivale.
• UNHCRcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Emergency Floor distribution in refugee camps. UNHCR has been involved in validating the impact of shelter improvements including flooring solutions.
• GVC-ItaliacoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerItalian humanitarian organization partnership for Emergency Floor installation in northern Lebanon camps. GVC-Italia has been a key partner in winterization and shelter improvement projects.
• American Refugee Committee (ARC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership began with 2019 co-creation internship project developing prototypes for Uganda camps. ARC provides field staff and beneficiary access for needs assessment, design ideas, and implementation. Ongoing partnership for Rohingya Response in Bangladesh.
• HYT (H读者)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRefugee-Led Organization (RLO) partner. HYT works alongside Wakati Foundation in ensuring refugee voices are at the table of decision-making and leading change in shelter programs.

Scale indicators31 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Better Shelter: Swedish-founded social enterprise that designs, manufactures, and distributes modular transitional shelter units for refugees and displaced populations. Directly comparable product (rigid modular shelter housing units) and beneficiary population; Every Shelter's Paa Bora competes in the same refugee shelter category.
• ShelterBox: UK-registered charity that provides emergency shelter and essential supplies (tents, shelter kits) to families displaced by conflict and natural disasters. Comparable target population, disaster-response product category, and donor-driven humanitarian model.
• Samaritan's Purse: US-based humanitarian organization with major shelter response programs (including refugee tent and transitional housing deployments). Comparable product offering for displaced populations and similar donor-acquisition model.

Broad incumbents

• Norwegian Refugee Council: One of the largest displacement-focused humanitarian NGOs, with a dedicated shelter and settlements program. Operates at much greater scale across more geographies; relevant incumbent comparator for shelter program design and refugee-focused delivery.
• International Rescue Committee: Major global humanitarian organization running refugee shelter, resettlement, and emergency response programs across dozens of countries. Comparable beneficiary population and shelter/livelihoods mission, though at vastly greater scale and program breadth.
• Mercy Corps: Large humanitarian organization with shelter, livelihoods, and refugee self-reliance programs globally. Overlaps with Every Shelter on the livelihoods-and-shelter combination for displaced populations, though Mercy Corps operates across far more sectors and geographies.
• Habitat for Humanity International: Global housing nonprofit with a substantial disaster response shelter arm serving displaced and low-income families. Relevant incumbent comparator for housing-focused programming and donor-driven construction models targeting vulnerable populations.
• Concern Worldwide: Ireland-based humanitarian organization with refugee shelter, livelihoods, and emergency response programs across multiple displacement contexts. Comparable target population and shelter-plus-livelihoods programming approach.
• CARE International: Major humanitarian confederation running refugee assistance programs including shelter, WASH, and economic empowerment for displaced women and girls — directly aligned with Every Shelter's primary beneficiary focus (80% women and children,).

Emerging players

• RefugePoint: US- and Kenya-based refugee self-reliance and shelter support organization working on durable solutions for displaced populations. More narrowly scoped than Every Shelter but pursues a similar refugee-led empowerment and shelter-stability model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/everyshelter
• Facebookfacebook.com/everyshelter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/everyshelter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors2 records

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 Every Shelter