Caritas Vienna - Austria

Helping refugees in Vienna

The war in Ukraine is not ending and the distress and despair are increasing. Civilians continue to face armed violence and face difficulty in accessing essential services. Humanitarian transports are also finding it increasingly difficult to reach the hard-hit areas. As of May, more than 13 million Ukrainians have been displaced by the war and more than 5.6 million people have fled to neighboring countries. 

Caritas Vienna supports people regardless of origin, religion or gender to lead a self-determined life. It counteracts injustice with regard to education and school drop-outs.Caritas Vienna helps people in precarious situations with qualifications and professional integration. It promotes access to health care, the inclusion of people with special needs and, supports people in need of nursing care and their relatives. Caritas Vienna is active in humanitarian and disaster relief. Caritas is currently active in three locations at the same time: in Ukraine, in neighboring countries and in Austria.

Caritas Wien (Vienna) covers the territory of the province of Vienna and the eastern part of Lower Austria. In addition to more than 5460 full-time employees, about 14800 volunteers provided person-to-person assistance in Caritas facilities in 2021.

Supporting and integrating refugees

The association takes care of and informs people arriving in Austria. They advise the refugees and provide accommodation and the essentials for a new start.

Their main goals are:

• Psychosocial support
• Measures for professional qualification with the aim of integration into the labor market
• Educational measures
• Learning assistance and support for children

House Lina

The House Lina, located in the 13th district of Vienna, is an unused building that is being transformed in order to offer accommodation, meals and support. It does not only provide living space, but also psychotherapy and support for stabilization if required. The project combines living with integration - this means  that there will be measures for vocational qualification, integration into the labor market as well as educational measures, learning assistance and child care.

Thus, the building is being transformed into a residential building with care and counseling rooms. Refugee families from Ukraine start moving in in early June. 

Housing of refugees from Ukraine is operated in close cooperation with the city government of Vienna, who organizes registration and allocation of refugees. Based at House Lina there will be 5 Caritas employees initially the 1 or 2 employees per service.

The Air Liquide Foundation’s contribution

The Air Liquide Foundation contributes to the furnishing and equipment of the ground floor to create a meeting zone, a room for childcare and a learning space for children.