During World War II, the need for quickly built and affordable housing became even more pressing, and prefab homes gained popularity in countries such as the United States and United Kingdom as a way to address housing shortages caused by the war. Companies such as Sears, Roebuck and Co. in the US and the UK government's "Prefabricated Bungalow Scheme" helped to mass produce these homes and they were widely used to help address the housing crisis.