Research Paper Example on Housing for Refugees

Introduction

The growth of the number of individuals living in the refugee camps has called for the improvement in their house preventing them from the extreme weather conditions and illnesses that affect their body health. The shelter which is durable and safe should be provided to these families thus making them feel they are appreciated and cared for by the government. A refugee housing unit is a sustainable, self-standing and long-lasting shelter which has been designed through the collaboration of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the social enterprise for the Better Shelter. Before welcoming the refugees in a country, the government has to be aware of the refugees' local needs so that as to contact the charitable organizations who help in providing basic needs to the refugees. Whenever the refugees have a comfortable and secure to stay, it will make the United States feel like home for the immigrants. Therefore, to control illnesses in the camps, provide safe essentials to the refugees and protect the immigrants from any harm the government has to ensure there is safe and spacious housing to the refugees.

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Examples of Refugee Houses in the United States

Tents

The tents help during the emergency period of the humanitarian response to the immigrants. The temporary structures are erected in a shorter time duration since they are cheap and light. The tents usually provide less protection of the immigrants from the various weather conditions, and they are not comfortable. The government show wary in determining the permanency of the houses since the immigrants might go their country (Lightfoot et al. 13). The humanitarian sector has tried to develop appropriate shelter which has to include the relevant issues hence varying from a different country to the context of refuge as a home.

Housing Kit

The Swedish furnishing giants fund and supports the management of the Refugee housing units manufacturing expertise and design. This design is a large garden shed which is a modular design that consists of the lightweight steel frame where the polymer panels are attached forming a pitched roof and vertical walls. During an emergency, the steel frames are distributed in the refugee camps thus being used together with the local materials and the plastic sheeting. The panels are used whenever there are protracted situations where one knows that there is a high probability of the refugees staying in the camps for a longer duration. The shade net in these houses usually reflects the sun on day time thus retaining heat which warms the structure at night. The solar panels which are installed in these structures also provide the house with power where the panels are set to stay for three years (Lightfoot et al. 15). The steel frames are strong enough, and they can remain for ten years whenever they are highly maintained.

Use of Mad Bricks

Due to sensitivities mad bricks are used in the construction of durable houses for the refugees. The tents are used in a small portion of the camp and the brick used in the development of homes which can last for a longer time. Also, some of the refugees opt to stay with the host families where they rent in urban centers or the rural places (Lightfoot et al. 9). The houses prevent the refugees from the extreme weather conditions which might lead to the occurrence of diseases among these immigrants.

Utilization of the Local Skills and Material in Building Houses

Different designs of housing are received differently by the refugees, thus it requires field testing and modifications have to be conducted before availing the shelter into the markets. The construction of the shelter is championed or funded by various companies which involve the use of steel frames that will not be affected by the ants. The United States utilizes the metals in the rectangular plans where there are no semi-rigid panels. The shelter is built using the traditional methods and designs using the local skills, materials and the tools so that they can promote the local economy thus reducing tensions which accompany the host societies. The local materials might be expensive to use in the construction of shelter whenever the influx of refugees is too high (Lightfoot et al. 17). The tents are used for the first time so that the supporting companies can acquire the materials for the constructions of these shelters. During construction, the frame and the fly sheets are used making it possible for the housing to become upgraded with timber, corrugated iron roofing, and the mud.

Issues in the Housing System and How to Fix Them

The neighborhood and social inclusion tend to affect the housing systems for the refugees. The area might resist structures to be built on their community thus making settling the refugees difficult. Most neighbors might oppose the dissemination of the available and essential services to the immigrants, and it makes their lives difficult and uncomfortable. Including the refugees in society might affect the cultural practices which are conducted by these societies leading to resistance among them. These issues can be mitigated through sensitization of the community members through showing them the importance of helping those affected by war in the societies. Using the community leader to talk to other societal members will make it easy for the supporting non-private organizations to get into the set areas and build appropriate housing for the refugees (Doling and Richard 171). Also, talking to the community members on the importance of including the society will help them to have a positive attitude toward the immigrants thus accommodating them in the society.

Discrimination is also a significant issue which affects the housing for thee immigrants. Some individuals might discriminate others because of race, color, language, and culture. Discrimination makes it difficult for the receiving country to accept immigrants from different nations. Also, religious discrimination among refugees might affect how these immigrants socialize and live with others in society. For the people to mitigate this problem, the discriminating cultures and people have to be educated about oneness and acceptance of others in the community. Through discrimination, society will experience difficulties while conducting their daily activities in the society. Also, in the refugee camps discouraging discrimination among the immigrants will help them to live in harmony thus accepting to live with each other(Doling and Richard 166). Besides, without prejudice, these individuals can share the available resources with other refugees thus making their lives more comfortable.

The lighting system in the refugee camps might be a challenge which makes the immigrants experience difficulties at night. Lighting in the houses used in these camps helps in ensuring security is maintained hence promoting safety in the fields. The government and the non-governmental organizations can provide and install the solar panels in the refugee buildings as they will tap solar energy during the day and convert it to light at night. The use of solar energy is a clean source of energy since it does not cause harm to immigrants. For the refugees who are going to reside in the receiving country for a longer duration, the government can supply electricity into the camps since it is convenient and safe to use (Lovell and Susan 460). Therefore, installing the lighting system in the housing used in the refugee camps makes the immigrants feel appreciated and cared for.

Supply of clean and safe water is a significant issue in many refugee houses since they lack access to a continuous flow of safe and clean water. Water plays a vital role in the bodies of people thus limiting, or lack of water puts the lives of immigrants into danger. For this problem to become mitigated the government can supply water through the use of pipes into the refugee camps hence making their lives to be easy and comfortable (Doling and Richard 166). For the housing located in dry areas, boreholes can be sunk thus utilizing the underground water in conduction of different activities in these refugee camps.

Opposing Side of Housing to the Refugees

The refugees might bring security issues to the United States thus posing the lives of other citizens into danger. Due to this reason, accommodating the refugees into the country has become difficult due to security issues. Also, immigrants might bring various diseases into the nation which poses the lives of the United States citizens into danger. Before acceptance of the refugees into the United States, one has to be tested against the dangerous and killer diseases which pose threats to the lives of people (Fennelly et al. 1415). Also, when accepting the immigrants from other nations, the receiving country has to ensure that this country is safe and its citizens are ready to welcome the immigrants into the country.

On the other hand, it might be challenging to accept the refugees since they cause pressure to the limited resources to be utilized by the native citizens. The immigrants contribute less to the economic development of the country hence making then receiving nation to lag in terms of development. For example, in the United States, the native citizens tend to contribute to an estimation of$ 19000 through tax which is used to develop the nation (Fennelly et al. 1417). The immigrants lead to pressure in the schools leading competition of resources with native children thus making it difficult for a country to accept accommodating the immigrants and refugees into the country.

The no benefit argument makes the immigrants and the refugees to develop a safer society which has lower crime and the incarceration rates. These refugees remain neutral in most of the impacts to be created on the lives of people in the nation. The immigrants and the refugees play a significant role in promoting both psychological and social gain since most Americans feel the mental and moral commitment to the immigrants (Fennelly et al. 1420). The social and the psychological issues are outweighed by the security and the economic losses which are experienced due to the acceptance of the refugees in a nation.

Why Housing is Important to the Refugees

Housing helps people to access different social, cultural and economic resources. Through shelter, one enjoys the safety of their property and lives hence living a comfortable and stress-free life. Housing also promotes the privacy of the people since they can conduct any activity at their comfort and safety. Through the house, some of the essential resources are made available to the residents making them feel appreciated and cared for. Housing also prevents people from the extreme weather conditions which might pose a danger to their lives thus leading to diseases. Water and electricity supply in the houses makes the residents enjoy by these amenities; thus paying for them does not become stressful to them (Hartog and Aslan 226). Therefore, housing helps the refugees to enjoy the services provided to them by the receiving country thus forgetting the issues which they left back in their nations.

Works Cited

Doling, John, and Richard Ronald. "Homeownership and asset-based welfare." Journal of housing and the built environment 25.2 (2010): 165-173.

Fennelly, Katherine, Kathryn Pearson, and Silvana Hackett. "The US congressional immigration agenda: Partisan politics, policy stalemate, and political posturing." Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 41.9 (2015): 1412-1432.

Hartog, Joop, and Aslan Zorlu. "How important is homeland education for refugees' economic position in The Netherlands?." Journal of Population Economics 22.1 (2009): 219-246.

Lightfoot, Kent G., Sara L. Gonzalez, and Tsim D. Schneider. "Refugees and interethnic residences: Examples of colonial entanglemen...