Shelter is one of the most ‘intractable problems’ in humanitarian aid and yet there is little clarity on an overarching definition. Terminology for shelter and housing is often conflated, and the most prominent definition does not fully reflect recent progress in the Shelter and Settlements Sector. This paper explores the varying terminology utilised in definitions of shelter within humanitarian aid since 1990, reflecting on the concepts of ‘shelter’ and ‘housing’, alongside surrounding perceptions of ‘house’ versus ‘home’, and related measures of adequacy. The current, most prolific definition is also deconstructed, demonstrating ambiguity in some of terminology such as ‘dignity’ and ‘privacy’, and revealing that interpretation of this definition depends on the reader's knowledge. Lastly, a new definition of ‘sheltering’ is proposed, encompassing five key reflections: the concept of process over object; the inclusion of communities and individuals; the commonality of long-term sheltering; the wider effects of shelter; and the impacts on host communities and environment.

中文翻译：

---

重新定义庇护所：人道主义庇护所

避难所是人道主义援助中最“棘手的问题”之一，但总体定义尚不明确。避难所和住房的术语经常混为一谈，最突出的定义并未完全反映避难所和定居点领域的最新进展。本文探讨了自 1990 年以来人道主义援助中避难所定义中使用的不同术语，反映了“避难所”和“住房”的概念，以及周围对“房子”与“家”的看法，以及相关的充足措施。当前最多产的定义也被解构，表明一些术语如“尊严”和“隐私”的歧义，并表明对该定义的解释取决于读者的知识。最后，提出了“庇护所”的新定义，包含五个关键思考：过程高于对象的概念；社区和个人的参与；长期庇护所的共性；庇护所的广泛影响；以及对东道社区和环境的影响。