Safe Haven – about the project

The Safe Haven project was written, prepared and started by Sailors Without Borders for the Other Space Foundation (Poland) and Cesvi Fundazione (Italy). Founded by Brembo.

Safe Haven is a support program providing accommodation, full board, schooling and support for over one hundred Ukrainian refugees. We focus on two main groups among the incoming refugees: people intending to settle on the territory of Poland, take up a job here and quickly become independent and those who intend to wait out the war in a safe place and return to Ukraine immediately after its end. From these, our top priorities are most vulnerable people: mothers with children/infants, pregnant women, people with disabilities and minorities

The project has started on May 9th, 2022

Beneficiaries

With Safe Haven project we aim to help those most vulnerable and in biggest need of our support, that’s why the main group of our Beneficiaries are mothers with many children and people with disabilities – but not only. Places in which we look for our Beneficiaries are temporary shelters with the worst conditions (most crowded, without windows, without enough toilets and showers, etc.) in which many of Ukrainian refugees have to spend even months(!) getting more and more exhausted. We provide them with better accommodation, with privacy and with life conditions possibly most similar to normal everyday living.

There is free Wi-Fi for our Beneficiaries within all the Hotel spaces. Two common rooms are dedicated to classrooms in which online learning is organised. There is a day room and a room dedicated to kids – with toys, blankets and drawing utensils.

Hotel Palace Europa Lublin website >>
Check on Google maps >>

Accommodation: Selection criteria

While choosing the best place to accommodate Ukrainian refugees we used the following criteria:

• High accommodation standards at a negotiable price – People from our selection group already suffered enough. They require proper care and deserve decent living conditions which will make them feel calm and safe, and let them move forward – find jobs in Poland to stay here or to just wait safely until the end of the war. Our goal is to provide them with the best and most comfortable living conditions for the entire 3 months of the project.

• The high number of rooms in one place (creating a community) – We aim to create favourable conditions for Ukrainian people to create a form of community in which they will be able to support each other, communicate easily in their native language and feel more secure by having a company of similar people in terms of culture and life transitions. To be able to accomplish that goal we look for one place with enough space for everyone rather than a group of smaller places.

• Full board – We want to be sure that our Ukrainian guests eat well every day. Therefore we choose only places which offer accommodation with full board (3 meals per day).

• Security services  – Having professional security working in the hotel is very important to us because we are dealing with a group of people in need of special care (mothers with young children, people with disabilities, minorities, etc.). Therefore, we choose places with good full-time protection before those without good security services.

• Cities before countrysides – To be able to provide the best conditions for obtaining support and care, continuing education and looking for employment, we have decided to give priority to hotels located in city centres, before ones in the countryside (where it may be too far away for our group to get all the appropriate opportunities and support).

Localisation in the city centre gives easy access to:

• information points, hospitals and clinics, schools, police stations etc.
• possibility to reach a bigger number of NGOs working to help, support, educate and entertain Ukrainian refugees;
• crisis intervention centres and other municipal support centres;
• children and youth care centres, common rooms etc.;
• possibility to be more independent in everyday life, for example in moving around the city (many bus and tram lines);
• possibility to have a more tolerant and diverse environment and a greater chance of communication in many different languages.
• possibility to meet more Ukrainian people living in the neighbourhood;
• better transport options to and from the city – many buses, trains and a city airport – which gives a possibility of easy travelling to other Polish cities and abroad.

Lublin – about the city

Lublin is the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland (with a population of 338 586). As the biggest town in Eastern Poland, it’s the capital of the Lubelskie Voivodeship and is about 170 km to the southeast of Warsaw by road.  Lublin, being centrally located, was inhabited by different nationalities and religious denominations that constituted a rich and varied community. It’s also a nice academic and artistic centre recognized in Poland and abroad, with a rich educational and cultural offer.

Official Lublin’s Website: lublin.eu
Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lublin 

Safe transport: small buses and private cars

Our target group (mothers with infants and children, pregnant women, people with disabilities) require well-organized and safe transport. For the process to be most efficient and stress-free, we intend to transport them from shelters to the hotel by small buses or rented cars. This is a more expensive form than classic buses, but avoids the stress and dangers of gathering a larger group in one bus pickup location and creates more private and comfortable atmosphere.

Localisation in the city centre gives easy access to:

• information points, hospitals and clinics, schools, police stations etc.
• possibility to reach a bigger number of NGOs working to help, support, educate and entertain Ukrainian refugees;
• crisis intervention centres and other municipal support centres;
• children and youth care centres, common rooms etc.;
• possibility to be more independent in everyday life, for example in moving around the city (many bus and tram lines);
• possibility to have a more tolerant and diverse environment and a greater chance of communication in many different languages.
• possibility to meet more Ukrainian people living in the neighbourhood;
• better transport options to and from the city – many buses, trains and a city airport – which gives a possibility of easy travelling to other Polish cities and abroad.

Lublin – about the city

Lublin is the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland (with a population of 338 586). As the biggest town in Eastern Poland, it’s the capital of the Lubelskie Voivodeship and is about 170 km to the southeast of Warsaw by road.  Lublin, being centrally located, was inhabited by different nationalities and religious denominations that constituted a rich and varied community. It’s also a nice academic and artistic centre recognized in Poland and abroad, with a rich educational and cultural offer.