Terekhov called for the introduction of social manager positions to support IDPs

The Mayor of Kharkiv, head of the Association of Frontline Cities and Communities (AFCC) Ihor Terekhov, has argued for the necessity of reforming the system of support for internally displaced persons (IDPs). To this end, he initiated the creation of a "single route" for IDPs, outlining his arguments and proposals in an article for "Ukrinform."

According to the head of the AFCC, supporting IDPs is not charity or a "social bonus." It is the state's duty and an element of the country's resilience, but currently, the state policy regarding IDPs is "very imperfect."

We see the consequences of these imperfect decisions every day: hours-long queues, confused people, broken logic of procedures, duplication of certificates and processes. As a result – fatigue and despair. And, however much we would not want it, we cannot fix this situation ourselves. Because the problem is not in the lack of desire "on the ground" – but in the architecture of the entire system. Today, support for IDPs is fragmented among different agencies. Everyone does something of their own, but very often – without synchronization, without a common standard, without a single responsibility for the result. It turns out not a route of assistance, but a labyrinth, through which it is almost impossible to get to the guaranteed support

The key problem is the fragmentation of services and support among various departments and institutions.

"And because of this fragmentation between different areas of support, people are forced to navigate a complex and incomprehensible system themselves, stand in queues, and effectively – break through a bureaucratic wall. Not everyone has enough strength and patience. This is the main problem. You cannot build a support system on the assumption that a person must be strong, legally literate, and have time to endlessly and fruitlessly knock on the doors of various institutions. This is especially painful, considering that about 64% of IDPs live below the poverty line, most – depend on state aid, and the unemployment rate among IDPs is significantly higher than the national average," emphasizes Ihor Terekhov.

He emphasizes: without clear guidance, people cannot take advantage of the opportunities that formally exist for them.

We often confuse "availability of programs" with "accessibility of programs." But a program that a person cannot use is not support. Accessibility is when the route to the service is clear, fast, and humane. When there is support and responsibility. Therefore, I consider it a fundamentally important step to introduce a single route for IDP support at the national level. One that works equally throughout the country, but at the same time takes into account different conditions – both frontline, where the burden and risks are objectively higher, and rear areas

According to him, the key element of the "single IDP route" should be social managers – specialists who know the system and help people navigate it without chaos, unnecessary queues, and humiliation.

"A social manager is the answer to the system's headache: when responsibility is blurred, and a person is left alone with bureaucracy. A social manager provides navigation, support, helps with documents, connects with services, coordinates various agencies around the needs of one family. This is the most humane and at the same time the most effective form of work: less time wasted, fewer mistakes, more results," the official notes.

Solving the problems of IDPs, he is convinced, must be a state matter - with clear standards, funding, digital solutions, and transparent rules.

"People who have survived the war and lost their homes should not spend months and years of their new life fighting the bureaucratic machine. They should spend this time on work, children, education, treatment, recovery – on life. Because the main meaning of the state in war is not only to survive. The main meaning is to save people," Ihor Terekhov summarizes.