Outside the
criteria
Who is left without support, and why? An analytical report on vulnerable population groups falling outside humanitarian and state assistance systems.
What this report is based on
The report draws on three complementary data sources — direct requests for assistance, aggregated needs assessments, and international response plans.
The gap between needs and assistance
In 2026, of the 10.8 million people who will need humanitarian assistance, only 4.1 million are planned to be reached. The coverage gap stands at 62%. According to the UNHCR Humanitarian Response Plan for 2026, the downward trend in assistance is expected to continue.
Four groups falling outside the support system
Of the total number of requests registered by the URCS Information Center, approximately 7,000 were submitted by vulnerable groups at risk of exclusion from the support system.
Based on the share of these requests, the absence of formal status, and gaps in humanitarian assistance systems, four high-risk vulnerability categories were identified.
Owners of destroyed or damaged housing who do not have access to reconstruction programmes
Who is included in this category
- People whose housing is located in temporarily occupied territories or active combat zones — entirely excluded from state programmes
- Older persons, individuals living alone, and people with limited mobility — unable to overcome administrative barriers without assistance
- Applicants awaiting compensation — living in damaged homes for months or even years
Why aren’t they receiving assistance
- Register of Losses for occupied territories: claims have been submitted, but compensation timelines remain unclear
- Digital divide: 50% of applicants are aged 60 or older, and one-third live alone
- The “YeVidnovlennia” programme follows a “repair first, compensation later” model, inaccessible to households without upfront funds
Most frequently requested types of URCS assistance
People with chronic illnesses and those requiring costly treatment
Who is included in this category
- Cancer patients and individuals with diabetes — 70% of all requests in this category, requiring regular treatment without interruption
- More than 60% of applicants are aged 60 and above, with limited mobility or living alone
- Displaced persons — have lost long-term medical follow-up and are forced to restart treatment from scratch
Why aren’t they receiving assistance
- More than half do not have officially recognised disability status — effectively excluding them from most support programmes
- Specialists are concentrated in large cities — for residents of small communities, specialised care is physically and financially out of reach
- NHSU programmes provide only partial coverage: some medicines are not included or require co-payments
Most frequently requested types of URCS assistance
People outside the labour market
Who is included in this category
- People of pre-retirement age — facing indirect age-based discrimination by employers; some lack sufficient years of service to qualify for a pension
- Informal caregivers — unable to work due to constant care for ill relatives, yet lacking officially recognised caregiver status
- Relatives of missing persons — 24% of this category. Their vulnerability combines income loss, legal uncertainty, and emotional and psychological strain
Why aren’t they receiving assistance
- The unemployment benefit period is capped at 90 days under martial law, which is clearly insufficient for the majority of applicants
- State unemployment support requires availability for work — a barrier for caregivers and others effectively unable to engage in employment
- Humanitarian employment programmes target specific vulnerability categories — people without sufficient work history or with caregiving responsibilities fall outside the eligibility criteria
Most frequently requested types of URCS assistance
Persons providing informal care
Who is included in this category
- Caregivers for older persons, people with limited mobility, and the seriously ill — round-the-clock, without status or support
- 35% of caregivers are aged 60 or above and rely on a single pension
- Caregivers for people with dementia — bearing the heaviest burden yet remaining the least visible. Only 14% have officially recognised caregiver status
Why aren’t they receiving assistance
- Humanitarian social care services are not provided if a family member is deemed able to care for the relative — the very presence of a caregiver becomes grounds for refusal
- Obtaining officially recognised caregiver status through MSEC/LKK is complex and often impossible for caregivers living alone
- Even with official status, state support remains minimal and does not cover the actual needs of either the caregiver or the care recipient
Most frequently requested types of URCS assistance
Vulnerability is amplified by community context
Beyond individual barriers, people across all four vulnerability categories face a shared context — the overall conditions of the communities in which they live. More than 15,000 respondents highlighted additional community-level needs.
Where the support system is heading
The system for accessing support has remained highly bureaucratic, resulting in a significant proportion of vulnerable individuals being excluded from available programmes. However, international organisations are increasingly adopting a needs-based approach through household vulnerability scoring, which enables support to reach individuals outside formal status-based systems.
As part of the 2026 UNHCR Humanitarian Response Plan, a priority-based cash assistance system has been introduced (since April 2026), enabling more targeted support for vulnerable populations based on identified needs.
The humanitarian system is clearly transitioning toward a needs-based response model, which is a positive development. At the same time, these approaches remain fragmented: access to assistance is still largely determined by specific programmes, geographic targeting, and donor priorities rather than by overall assessed needs.
In this context, support remains fragmented and insufficiently integrated. The groups highlighted in this report — people with chronic illnesses, informal caregivers, individuals with limited access to employment, and those affected by housing destruction — require long-term, comprehensive, and coordinated support.