“You don’t have to face your problems alone”: how a case manager helps displaced people start a new life in their community

“I was also an internally displaced person at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, so I understand what it is like to find yourself in a completely different, unfamiliar environment. That’s why I know how important it is to feel that you are not alone, that someone cares about you and wants to help,” says Olha, a case manager with the NGO Responsible Citizens.

In 2022, Olha herself was forced to leave her home region of Dnipropetrovsk for western Ukraine. A few months later, she returned home. Today, she works with internally displaced people who have recently moved to a community and supports them through the process of adaptation and integration.

Olha helps IDPs understand their needs and find the support they require — from applying for social benefits, finding housing and restoring documents to accessing legal or psychological assistance. The opportunity to work with adult IDPs through case management is a unique experience made possible by the MEDICO International project.

According to Olha, after leaving their homes, people are not always able to clearly understand what they need. This is especially true when they are relocating for the first time.

“When we conduct a needs assessment, it becomes clear during the very first conversation which issues we need to work on. We explain what we can do, where to turn, and what documents are needed. Then we develop an individual plan together,” she explains.

After that, the support process begins. Olha stays in touch with the person, involves a psychologist or social worker when necessary, and if it is difficult for the person to come to the office, she can visit them at home.

The most common requests concern housing, social benefits, documents and medical assistance. One large family was spending a significant part of its income on rent, and project specialists helped them understand the available social housing options. Eventually, the family was able to move into a new home.

Olha is convinced that the role of a case manager is not to solve all of a person’s problems alone, but to help them find the right path and the people who can provide support.

“One of the women evacuated with eight cats and four dogs. She found housing, but after moving, it was difficult for her to provide the animals with food, treatment and sterilisation on her own. I reached out to some caring volunteers in our city. They helped with food and offered to arrange sterilisation. Some of the cats first needed treatment, so the woman is taking care of that now. For me, this story is also about the caring nature of the community.”

Behind every such request, however, there is not only an issue that needs to be resolved, but also a human story. Olha admits that it is not easy to remain detached when people share what they have been through and the pain they carry.

That is why, after work, she turns to something that helps her recover — flowers. There are many of them around Olha’s home: indoor and garden flowers, and she has even turned part of her small vegetable garden into a flower bed.

“When I come home, I completely immerse myself in them. I get a lot of pleasure from it. This is how I relieve my emotional burden — I distract myself with something that calms me.”

Her own experience of displacement helps Olha better understand people who are now trying to build their lives in a new community. She knows how much even a small amount of support can mean at a time when everything around you is unfamiliar and confusing.

That is why Olha advises anyone who has recently become an IDP and is unsure whether to seek help not to face their difficulties alone.

“You don’t have to face your problems alone. There are good people in the world. Life goes on, so we have to keep moving forward. And we will help you with that.”

Assistance is provided as part of a project implemented by the NGO “Responsible Citizens” with the support of the humanitarian and human rights organisation Medico International.