No place to call home: How Syria’s displaced millions struggle to keep a roof over their heads

Five years after the conflict in Syria began, the situation for the almost four million refugees living across the Middle East, and many of the communities who are generously hosting them, is increasingly defined by an unfolding shelter crisis. Those who have escaped the violence in Syria are struggling to find basic shelter for their families. Host communities are also severely affected as they are forced to compete with refugees to access services or secure a roof over their heads. This is creating a strain on inter-communal relations, with the risk of further tensions as the crisis goes on.

This document sheds a light on the unfolding shelter crisis and its consequences for both Syrian refugees and the host communities in the neighbouring countries. It formulates a series of recommendations to donors, refugee-hosting governments and humanitarian organisations to address these challenges.