The Ministry of Social Policy and the Red Cross are preparing for winter: Ukraine will strengthen support for vulnerable categories of the population

The Ministry of Social Policy, Family and Unity of Ukraine, together with the Ukrainian Red Cross Society, have begun coordinating preparations for the new winter period. The parties have agreed to pool resources for operational assistance to the population, development of the volunteer movement and expansion of social services.

This was reported by the Ministry of Social Policy.

Preparing for winter in advance

During the working meeting on July 27, the main attention was paid to preparations for the heating season and mechanisms for rapid response to the needs of citizens.

The participants discussed how to ensure timely identification of people who will need assistance and prompt provision of the necessary support.

The Ministry recalled that last winter, together with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, a system for responding to appeals from vulnerable categories of the population was already introduced, which allowed for faster provision of assistance during crisis situations.

Targeted financial assistance

The Ministry of Social Policy noted that the state is gradually moving from one-time humanitarian solutions to systematic targeted support for citizens.

Thus, through the Ministry’s Humanitarian Account, 6,500 hryvnias have already been paid to families raising children with disabilities of subgroup A and living in front-line areas.

In total, more than 50 million hryvnias have already been allocated for such payments.

Volunteering will be developed by 2030

A separate area of ​​cooperation will be the implementation of the State Target Program for the Development of Volunteer Activities by 2030.

Minister of Social Policy, Family and Unity Denys Ulyutin reported that the Ministry plans to create a project office for the development of volunteering, which will coordinate the implementation of state policy in this area.

Representatives of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society confirmed their readiness to provide methodological and practical support for the work of the new office.

Expansion of social services

During the meeting, the development of the social services system and community support were also discussed.

According to the Ministry, today 84% of providers of services for building resilience are civil society organizations. At the same time, in 16 territorial communities, it is the Ukrainian Red Cross Society that provides comprehensive social services for building resilience.

Summing up the meeting, Denys Ulyutin emphasized that the state seeks to move from individual joint initiatives to long-term partnerships.

“I am convinced that we are ready to move from individual joint projects to long-term partnerships. The Red Cross should become our permanent partner in the development of social services, volunteering, and supporting people in crisis situations,” the minister noted.