The International Federation of the Red Cross's (IFRC) Transitional Shelter Programme (TSP) began in August 2005 in response to the need for temporary shelter among an estimated 67, 000 individuals in Aceh and Nias whose homes were damaged or lost in the wake of the tsunami disaster of December 2004. From the outset, the programme was intended to benefit large numbers of displaced households living in inadequate shelter conditions who needed immediate, temporary housing assistance that would not compromise their ability to eventually relocate into permanent structures.