Halfway houses offering safety for women in Ukraine

More than six million people have fled Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 and millions more are displaced inside the country. Behind these numbers lies another crisis: women who are forced to choose between staying with an abusive partner or face being homeless in the middle of a war. Mothers fleeing shelling with their children often find that systems built for peacetime cannot meet their urgent needs.

The Ukrainian Foundation for Public Health (UFPH), one of the partner organisations of The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation, runs halfway houses and other safe spaces for women and children.

Safety comes first at halfway houses

At UFPH`s halfway houses, the doors are always open. Women do not need to show documents or prove their situation before getting help. This trust-based approach has already been able to keep over 500 women and children safe and on a path to independence.

“When your identity documents are destroyed and you have no family to turn to, you become invisible to the system,” says Halyna Skipalska, Executive Director of UFPH.

“Our job is to make the invisible visible—quickly and with dignity.”

Theses halfway houses are just one part of the support that UFPH provides. They also run centres for psychosocial support, safe spaces for counselling and legal advice, mobile teams reaching frontline areas as well as units in health facilities to ensure survivors can access medical care, counselling and referrals all in one place.

When home becomes the frontline

Around 2 a.m. in Kyiv, air raid sirens begin their familiar wail. Nataliia Lieshukova, manager of a UFPH halfway house, walks the corridor—checking on sleeping children, reassuring mothers for whom safety has never been guaranteed.

“This work is deeply personal,” Nataliia says. “The women’s stories can bring me to tears—there are dozens of them—but watching transformation happen keeps us going.”

Kateryna Kravets, a social worker, recalls how 24 February 2022 changed everything: “The war turned my worldview upside down. Today, my work is a vocation.”

For Liydmyla Kykelko, another social worker at UFHP, the most powerful moments are when dignity returns: “When a woman’s mindset shifts—when she starts to see new horizons and opportunities—that is the real result.”

Stories of women rebuilding their lives

Women who arrive at UFPH carry losses that go beyond belongings: homes, communities, identity and often a sense of agency.

Olena came to the house barely able to speak after fleeing both bombardment and domestic violence. Months later, her words are simple but hard-won: “I live for today.” Professional support, peer community and a stable environment made the present feel possible again.

Anna arrived after losing her home and job. “The psychological, moral and material assistance helped me believe in myself and start from scratch,” she says. “I plan to find a job, rent an apartment, and enrol my children in kindergarten.” These are not aspirations but concrete plans backed by case management, skills coaching and dependable referrals.

Changing how the system responds to violence

As a long-standing women-led organisation, UFPH also works with changing how the system responds to violence and displacement. They advocate for policies that put survivors first, including women with disabilities. They also push for better access to psychosocial support within healthcare, and share their experiences so that other actors can learn from their model.

By sharing their intake model, UFPH is helping shape how the country responds to internally displaced people and survivors of gender-based violence. They also train frontline workers, strengthen referral networks and digital access to support. Through digital platforms, women have access to psychosocial, social and legal support remotely and confidentially when travel is unsafe.

Innovation in times of crisis

The challenges are immense. Funding that shifts with political priorities, staff working under extreme stress, and daily security decisions most shelter operators never face—from air raid evacuations to whether it is safe for a resident to cross the city for a job interview.

Operating during active conflict demands flexibility and precision. When schools close, programmes adapt so children can keep learning wherever they are. When travel is unsafe, services move closer to women. The model endures because it is built around what women need most to rebuild their lives from day one: safety, dignity, and a real chance at independence.

A door that stays open

As Ukraine enters another year of full-scale war, UFPH shows that even in the midst of insecurity it is possible to create spaces where women heal, regain their agency and build new lives. Their model has begun to inspire others looking for ways to strengthen their crisis responses—a reminder that innovation often begins close to the communities most affected.

“Every woman who achieves independence through our programmes is living proof that transformation is possible, even in the hardest circumstances,” says Halyna Skipalska. “That is why our doors—physical and digital—stay open.”

Kvinna till Kvinna has supported women’s rights in Ukraine since 2014 through cooperation with local organisations. Read more about our work »