The full-scale war continues to drain people and resources, and around 3.7 million internally displaced persons in Ukraine still lack conditions for a stable life. An IOM study shows that progress toward long-term solutions differs sharply depending on whether a household experienced displacement and how long that displacement lasted.
“Analysis has found that progress toward long-term solutions strongly correlates with displacement status,” Humanitarian Media Hub reports. IDPs most often fall into the lowest stability category. This reflects limited access to basic resources, unstable income and difficulties obtaining essential services.
Long periods of displacement deepen vulnerability. Returnees who were away only briefly recover faster. Those who spent long periods away from home reach stability less frequently. Economic security remains the main barrier: households without employed adults almost always fall into the lowest category.
Instability worsens when families plan to move again. Households uncertain about their next place of residence remain at high risk. A clear intention to settle in the current location is the only factor that significantly improves the chances of achieving stability.
The data show that displacement intensifies pre-existing problems. System-level solutions must focus on strengthening the economic resilience of IDPs to break the cycle of vulnerability that can persist for years.
How the new housing voucher programme for IDPs works
