Because everyone deserves a home.
From Shacks to Homes
The goal of this program is to ensure that people living in public spaces and makeshift shelters can finally access real, safe homes — independent, affordable rental housing that provides the foundation for social integration.
Why this program matters
Housing comes first — everything else follows
Through our From Shacks to Homes program, we support the most vulnerable people in rebuilding their lives in safe and dignified homes. We renovate unused, often derelict municipal apartments and make them livable. These homes are then allocated to families experiencing homelessness, who pay an affordable, socially adjusted rent. A key element of the program is intensive social work, helping tenants maintain their housing in the long term — which is essential for social integration. According to the Housing First approach we follow, safe, affordable, and independent housing is not the result of progress — it is the starting point for a dignified life and any further personal and social development. Unlike traditional step-based systems, the Housing First model places housing at the very beginning of the support process. The success of the program is reflected in the fact that more than 90% of our tenants have been able to leave homelessness behind.
How it works
How the “From Shacks to Homes” program supports people
Renovation
Renovations are carried out under the supervision of our technical team, with the help of volunteers and future tenants. Our volunteers come from diverse backgrounds and bring a wide range of skills and experience.
Move-in
Tenant selection and intensive individual social work begin during the renovation phase. In addition, our move-in support group, together with peer mentors, helps new tenants adjust and start their new lives.
Ongoing support
A core element of the program is that tenants continue to receive intensive support for as long as they need it. Our social workers are highly trained professionals with extensive experience.
We provide advisory support to interested municipalities.
A win-win collaboration with district municipalities
Our From Shacks to Homes program currently operates in Budapest’s 10th and 20th districts. In Hungary, only around 2% of the housing stock is owned by municipalities. This means that people who cannot afford the increasingly expensive housing market have very limited options — while hundreds of thousands of properties stand empty nationwide. At the same time, many municipal housing units remain vacant because they are in poor condition and cannot be used within the standard rental system. Our program offers a solution: these apartments can be renovated with the involvement of civil organisations, private donors, and future tenants. This creates value for municipalities while providing long-term, sustainable housing for tenants. The apartments are allocated to people experiencing homelessness in the given district, who pay a socially adjusted rent.
