UNHCR and the Ministry of Social Policy open renovated sanatorium with social services to support displaced and other war-affected people
© UNHCR/Tetiana Kuras
Myrhorod, Poltava region – UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, together with the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, today officially inaugurated the renovated Slava Sanatorium, transforming it into a safe and dignified facility for accommodation and social service provision for older people, people with disabilities or in otherwise vulnerable conditions, displaced by the ongoing war in Ukraine.
UNHCR has undertaken a comprehensive renovation and refurbishment of the building that offers assisted living social service. The works have focused on improving living conditions and upgrading the essential infrastructure such as heating, electrical network, ventilation, water, and sewage systems to create a comfortable environment for all residents, including those with disabilities.Beyond the physical rehabilitation, Slava Sanatorium is also part of a progressive pilot programme. In close cooperation with the Ministry of Social Policy, UNHCR and NGO partner Right to Protection are working to strengthen the capacity of social workers in the Sanatorium and community to facilitate social adaptation, which will enable internally displaced people who are currently residing in the sanatorium to live independently in the community.
With tailored social adaptation plans, the displaced people are supported and empowered to attain a longer-term solution, while also strengthening community bonds and facilitating their inclusion into a new community. This is particularly important for older people who – prior to their displacement and for some destruction and occupation of their homes – lived independently in their houses, often with support of neighbors and family members living nearby.
This joint effort between the Ministry and UNHCR aims at restoring the ability to live independently following displacement, thereby contributing to the implementation of the National Strategy on Deinstitutionalization.
© UNHCR/Chadi Ouanes
"The transformation of Slava Sanatorium is not only about repairing the building and ensuring better physical surroundings; it is about restoring dignity, hope, and opportunities for those displaced by war. By combining upgraded conditions with tailored social support services, we are empowering displaced people to rebuild their lives and integrate into society. At the same time, we are working closely with the Ministry and local authorities to ensure that the lessons learnt here will help strengthen and develop the social protection system across the country, and thereby benefit many more people in the long run," said Karolina Lindholm Billing, UNHCR’s Representative in Ukraine.
"Before being forced to flee, these people had their own homes, farms, and plans for a peaceful old age among their relatives and friends. However, the war made its terrible adjustments: the loss of housing, health, and a familiar way of life led to the fact that now these people have become internally displaced and do no longer have the strength or the opportunity to start everything from scratch. Given this, we actually changed the purpose of the sanatorium, creating decent living conditions here for older people and people with disabilities who left dangerous areas and need additional support. We are grateful to our partners, together with whom we managed to modernize the sanatorium's infrastructure and improve living conditions so that its residents would be as comfortable and safe as possible," noted Oksana Zholnovych, Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine.
© UNHCR/Tetiana Kuras
“We strive to ensure that every person who has found themselves in difficult circumstances due to the war not only has a roof over their head, but also a real chance to regain control over their life. The social adaptation service we provide at the Slava Sanatorium involves individual support and guidance for each person — from developing a personal action plan to its implementation. We help people gradually restore their independent living skills and make informed decisions about their future and well-being after leaving the sanatorium. This is not just assistance — it’s an investment in a dignified and self-reliant future,” said Vita Titova, Deputy Coordinator of the Social Assistance and Protection Programme at the Right to Protection Charitable Foundation.
The Slava Sanatorium in Myrhorod offers three key social services: temporary accommodation for internally displaced people until it is possible to identify alternative longer-term accommodation; assisted living for people who need support to manage in daily life and re-learn basic life skills, focusing on people with disabilities or older people; and lastly the newly piloted social adaptation programme to facilitate people’s move to independent living.
UNHCR has been cooperating closely with the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine for many years and signed in 2022 a Memorandum of Understanding, with a commitment to support expanded access to social protection for internally displaced people and other war-affected people at high risk of becoming vulnerable and being left behind as a result of the war.
© UNHCR/Tetiana Kuras
Building on this cooperation, UNHCR and the Ministry are implementing the joint pilot initiative on social adaptation in the Slava Sanatorium as well as the Batkivshchyna Sanatorium in Truskavets in Lviv region, with the aim to strengthen this social service as an essential component to enable older internally displaced people to find a durable solution.
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, UNHCR supported 4.3 million people in Ukraine in 2022 through various humanitarian and recovery programmes, and 2.63 million people in 2023. In 2024, UNHCR has delivered some 1.7 million multi-sectoral services, such as cash assistance, house repairs, psychosocial support, and legal counseling to war-affected people across Ukraine to help them recover and rebuild.