Founding document

Housing crises rarely begin with collapse or emergency.
They begin quietly — with uncertainty, blurred roles, informal arrangements, and people trying to do their best without clear support.This affects many people:
• those living in shared or non-traditional housing
• owners carrying responsibility from a distance
• frontline and precarious workers under strain
• tradespeople asked to fix what systems delay
• caregivers, officials, and professionals navigating incomplete informationWhen structure is missing, care is often asked to do too much — and the cost is not shared equally.Across these situations, many people find themselves carrying:
• responsibility without clarity
• care without structure
• risk without authority
• pressure to act without consentThose with the least power carry the greatest cost when systems fail.The Shelter Projekt exists to restore clarity, dignity, and responsibility before harm occurs.It offers a participant-led space for people living and working within complex housing and community arrangements to:
• slow decisions down
• name what is actually happening
• clarify roles and limits
• and make ethical choices without pressure, blame, or moral judgmentThis work happens before crisis — when repair, fairness, and agency are still possible.When safety, habitability, or risk thresholds are crossed, professional intervention is required.That is where SaferHomes begins — providing diagnostic-first assessment, documentation, and coordination aligned with formal systems of safety and accountability.Together, these two stages form a clear sequence:
• The Shelter Projekt supports ethical decision-making before crisis.
• SaferHomes stabilizes conditions during crisis.Care has a place.
Safety has a process.When responsibility is shared clearly, the most vulnerable are no longer asked to carry what they cannot.( This document articulates Shelter Projekt’s ethical and operational framing)