From intervention to integration. The fourth year of support actions by the Polish Red Cross for individuals from Ukraine

Even four thousand people visit 16 Centers for Integration of the Polish Red Cross each month, located throughout the country. These are places of first contact, support, and information for those who started new lives in Poland after the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine.

The Polish Red Cross has been providing assistance to people seeking safe shelter since the first days of the armed conflict in Ukraine. However, its nature has changed over the course of four years. In addition to intervention activities, the PCK is currently implementing programs focused on achieving employment, housing stabilization, and building autonomy.

The "Livelihoods" project supports participants in acquiring qualifications and finding legal employment. So far, we have covered 7,349 people.

The PCK team conducted 4,943 vocational consultations during which participants analyzed their skills, experience, and employment opportunities in the given region. We organized 411 informational sessions and assisted in translating 2,264 CVs, adapting them to the requirements of Polish employers.

More than 3,000 people completed language courses, which in many cases were a prerequisite for functioning in the Polish labor market. A total of 3,379 participants took part in skills enhancement training. These were:

Thanks to these activities, 1,897 people found employment – including 1,695 who secured full-time jobs and 202 who started their own businesses.

We implement the project in close cooperation with local institutions and employers. As a result, the support meets real regional demand for workers.

For many people fleeing from bombings and fighting, the first place of stay in Poland were temporary accommodation centers – lacking privacy, stability, and the ability to function normally.

The PCK team, as part of the "Together to Independence" project, helps take the next step. The support primarily covers the funding of rental costs for residential premises, assistance in covering notarial costs related to occasional lease agreements, transportation related to relocation, and commuting to work and school. The program also finances real estate agency services and provides vouchers for purchasing basic apartment furnishings – furniture, household appliances, textiles, and cleaning supplies.

By the end of 2025, the project covered 5,080 people from 1,983 households, of which 64% were women. Thanks to the support provided, 2,937 people were able to leave collective accommodation centers for their own rental apartments.

Participants benefit from vocational counseling, vocational and language courses. They receive funding for the nostrification of diplomas, translations of professional and medical documents, driving license category B courses, and exams confirming knowledge of the Polish language. An important element is also integration events that support relationship building and embedding into local communities. The Centers for Integration of the PCK were often the first point of contact for refugees with the local community.

Over the course of four years, we have supported more than 12 thousand people through only these two programs. For some of them, it meant their first employment contract in Poland. For others – their own apartment and stable conditions for raising children.

This shows a change in the nature of assistance: from intervention activities to systemic support that enables taking up work, renting an apartment, and functioning in local communities.