Safe Functional Habitat

Outcome

% of beneficiaries living in a safe, secure and functional habitat

This indicator estimates the share of supported beneficiaries whose living conditions meet a minimum standard of (a) functional shelter and (b) a secure settlement environment. It reflects the outcome ECHO emphasises: shelter and settlement support should provide protection, security and dignity. At the same time, settlements and shelter should be addressed together, with the location and surrounding environment being as important as the shelter itself.

Determine the indicator value by using the following steps:

 

1) Define what “habitat” means in your context: Define “habitat” as the shelter plus its immediate living environment / settlement conditions (e.g., plot/site, immediate surroundings, basic safety conditions). This is consistent with ECHO’s shelter-and-settlement framing.

 

 

2) Define the two sub-indicators you will measure: To keep measurement feasible and consistent with common ECHO practice for shelter outcome measurement, IndiKit suggests to use two sub-indicators:

   - Functional habitat (shelter functionality): % of respondents who consider that their basic shelter needs are met in a way that is usable and appropriate for daily living.

   - Secure habitat (settlement security): % of respondents who consider that the place where they live is largely secure.

 

 

3) Collect the required data: Conduct individual interviews with a representative sample of beneficiaries living in the supported settlements.

POSSIBLE SURVEY QUESTIONS (Q) AND ANSWERS (A)

Q1 (Functional habitat): How would you describe the condition of your shelter for daily living?

A1:

1) Does not meet basic needs at all (major problems that affect daily life)

2) Mostly does not meet basic needs (several important problems)

3) Mostly meets basic needs (some problems, but generally usable)

4) Fully meets basic needs (no major problems)

 

Q2 (Secure habitat): How safe do you currently feel in the place where you live?

A2:

1) Not safe

2) Not very safe, with bigger concerns

3) Largely safe, with smaller concerns only (acceptable)

4) Very safe

 

 

4) To calculate the indicator value:

   - count the number of respondents who said that their shelter “mostly” or “fully” meets their basic needs and at the same time said that they feel “largely safe” or “very safe” in the area

   - divide the result by the total number of interviewed respondents

   - multiply the resulting number by 100 to convert it to a percentage

A respondent meets the indicator only if they meet the threshold for both sub-indicators (functional habitat and secure habitat).

Where feasible and relevant, the data can be disaggregated by:

   - sex and age group (at minimum)

   - location / site / settlement type (camp / collective centre vs host community; district)

   - population group (IDPs / refugees / host), where relevant and safe

   - specific vulnerability groups relevant to the context (e.g., older people, people with disabilities, minorities)

1) This is one of DG ECHO’s Key Outcome Indicators. As of December 2025, ECHO has not released guidance on how to measure this indicator. The guidance above is IndiKit’s suggestion for how you can determine the indicator value. We welcome your feedback on how we can improve it further. If ECHO releases its own guidance, please follow it and inform IndiKit so we can update this site accordingly.

 

2) This is an outcome trend indicator and should not be used alone to claim attribution. Interpret alongside outputs (shelter rehabilitation, NFIs, site improvements, tenure support, DRR measures) and contextual factors.

 

3) Because “habitat” includes both shelter and settlement conditions, ensure your sampling frame includes beneficiaries across different sites / areas and not only those easiest to reach (to avoid bias).