Cash for Rent Guidelines for Yemen

Since the start of a civil conflict in Yemen in March 2015, the country has remained in a state of emergency. Ongoing fighting and military activities have made it challenging for humanitarian workers to reach affected populations and meet their basic needs, such as food, water, and shelter. Displaced persons often live with relatives, friends, or in collective shelters that offer inadequate living conditions and pose protection concerns.

While renting a safe shelter is the preferred option for many displaced families, the increasing rental costs and their severe socio-economic situation make it impossible for them to afford.

Current shelter emergency assistance mainly focuses on camp-like sites, which leaves those internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in urban areas with fewer options for support. Therefore, it is crucial to provide rental assistance to IDPs in urban areas.

Rental assistance is a form of basic financial aid that offers vulnerable households partial payment for renting a safe shelter for a limited period. This short-term solution allows families to have access to adequate and dignified housing until they become self-sustaining.

The primary goal of rental assistance is to address emergency shelter needs and provide a temporary solution until a more sustainable shelter option is available. It is not a durable solution. Rental assistance not only benefits displaced families but also the hosting communities, including property owners. It is essential to recognize the hosting community’s vulnerabilities, as they may also be affected by the crisis directly or indirectly.

This document provides guidelines for using cash for rent as one of the primary shelter responses to the internal displacement crisis in Yemen. These guidelines should be used as a reference when providing rental assistance.