Ukraine Launches an Experimental Project to Provide Shelter Services for Low-Mobility IDPs

Ukraine has launched a new experimental project to provide social services to internally displaced persons (IDPs), aimed at supporting low-mobility individuals who have found themselves in difficult life circumstances.

The project has been introduced in accordance with the Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine of 17 September 2025, № 1169, and envisages a new contractual model for the provision of social services of shelter for low-mobility IDPs. Shelter services are provided free of charge and are intended to facilitate the beneficiaries’ further integration into the life of the host community.

Who Can Receive the Shelter Service

Low-mobility IDPs who have functional limitations that:

1. make independent movement difficult;
2. limit orientation in space;
3. hinder understanding of necessary information.

What the Shelter Service Includes

The shelter service provides a comprehensive set of measures aimed at meeting basic living needs and ensuring social support. In particular, beneficiaries are provided with:

1. a bed space with housing and communal services;
2. essential hard and soft equipment, clothing, footwear, and one-time meals;
3. facilities for sanitary and hygiene procedures and personal care;
4. conditions for independent cooking, eating, and washing personal items;
5. assistance with household management;
6. assistance with self-care (personal hygiene, mobility regime, feeding, etc.);
7. assistance with moving around the premises;
8. support in developing and maintaining social skills;
9. assistance in analysing the life situation, identifying key problems and ways to solve them;
10. assistance in organising the resolution of the beneficiary’s difficult life circumstances and interaction with other specialists and services, enterprises, institutions, and organisations regardless of ownership (as needed);
11. assistance in obtaining free legal aid.

Duration of the Service

The shelter service may be provided to one beneficiary for a period of up to 12 months.

How to Obtain the Shelter Service

Step 1. Submit an Application

First, contact a social service provider and submit an application stating your need for the shelter service. This can be done through:

1. a local social services centre;
2. the territorial hromada (social protection department);
3. directly to the service provider (orally or in writing).

Step 2. Prepare the Required Documents

1. a passport or ID document;
2. documents confirming your IDP status;
3. documents confirming low mobility (medical certificate / conclusion) or other information about your health condition.

Some providers may request additional documents depending on the specific nature of the service. Therefore, it is advisable to уточнити the exact list in advance at the local social services centre.

Step 3. Assessment of Individual Needs

After you apply, the service provider will:

1. conduct an assessment of needs;
2. prepare an individual service plan taking into account physical condition and life circumstances.

Reassessment During Service Provision

Approximately every six months after the start of the service, the provider conducts a repeated needs assessment and, if necessary, adjusts the individual service plan.

Provision of Services During Evacuation

In the event of a decision on mandatory evacuation of the population, the shelter service may be provided to low-mobility evacuated IDPs on an emergency (crisis) basis.

Such assistance is provided subject to the availability of vacant places among the service providers participating in the experimental project.