In order to settle refugees as quickly as possible and because so many homes were destroyed, building shelter became the goal of international NGOs. Tzu Chi, the Taiwan Red Cross, Dharma Drum Mountain, and World Vision Taiwan were among these organizations engaging in construction projects of different scales in areas hit by the tsunami.
為了讓災民早日安頓下來，也因為房屋傾毀的數量太大，「興建房屋」就成了國際救援團體普遍投入的項目，台灣也不例外，慈濟、紅十字會、法鼓山、世界展望會等在各重災區都有規模不等的建屋計劃。