Humanitarian housing

State humanitarian housing is provided as primary assistance to people fleeing the war in Ukraine who have not yet found housing in the Czech Republic. This is a temporary housing assigned by KACPU, it is free of charge and for a limited period of 150 days. During this period, you will need to find housing for the following period by concluding a lease or sublease agreement.

After you are provided with state humanitarian housing, you will be given a written confirmation “Information on the provision of housing”. This document will include the residential address, contact details and basic information about the rights and obligations associated with this form of assistance.

After 150 days, it is no longer possible to receive free humanitarian housing. This time limit does not apply to persons from vulnerable categories Such persons have the right to live in humanitarian housing free of charge even after 150 days.

It is necessary to confirm that you belong to the category of vulnerable persons through an application for humanitarian assistance provided by Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MoLSA).

→ More information on the vulnerable categories and details to apply: https://www.mpsv.cz/web/cz/humanitarni-davka-ua

When considering your application for humanitarian assistance, you will be entered in the “register” of vulnerable persons. The application for humanitarian assistance can be submitted electronically.

Who is a vulnerable person to be able to apply for humanitarian assistance?

• a person under the age of 18,
• a person over the age of 65,
• a person caring for a child under the age of 6,
• disabled person or one who has an identity card with a disability (including a person caring for a person with a disability),
• a person studying in the Czech Republic under the age of 26,
• a pregnant woman.

→ More information on organizations providing housing support can be found HERE

The start of the 150-day period shall commence on the day following the date of granting the first temporary protection. For example: I received my first temporary protection on 29.04.2023. 150 days of free public humanitarian housing begin on 30.04.2023.

Applying for such housing is possible only at the KACPU. State humanitarian housing is provided subject to availability (usually within the same region where the KACPU is located in which you are applying for temporary protection).

KACPU Prague does not provide this service as capacity is full. Therefore, if you need to obtain humanitarian housing, you cannot apply for temporary protection in Prague. Contact KACPU in other regions.

For the Central Bohemian region specifically, from September 1, 2023, state humanitarian housing will be provided only through the KACPU in Kladno and the KACPU in Kutná Hora and can be assigned to any settlement in this region, depending on the available places. If you already have housing and only need to apply for temporary protection, contact KACPU where you live.

Allocated housing is final. Since the number of vacant places is limited, it is impossible to choose which kind of accommodation you want to be placed in.

State humanitarian housing is always provided through the KACPU. If you find and arrange housing yourself, it will not be considered public humanitarian housing.

It is usually not possible to change the accommodation provided to you. It is possible to change such accommodation only for valid reasons that significantly complicate or make it impossible to stay in this accommodation regardless of your will. For example, changing jobs or attending an educational institution elsewhere is not considered a valid reason.

What counts as a good reason: Housing does not meet the medical needs of the person or the needs for the provision of social services. These are exceptional situations, for example when the resident’s health condition requires barrier-free access to a wheelchair or where a person needs special care services (e.g. elderly people or people with disabilities). In this case, contact the KACPU at your place of residence and provide documents confirming the valid reasons. If recognized, the KACPU will assign you other state humanitarian housing.

If the accommodation facility stops providing state humanitarian housing, you will be contacted in a timely manner by the person providing you with housing. If you wish to continue using free public humanitarian housing, KACPU will provide you with new housing. If you are provided with new public humanitarian housing, you do not need to notify the Department of Asylum and Migration Policy (OAMP) of the change of address.

Immediate family members may find themselves in a situation where some of them can live in state humanitarian housing even after 150 days (they are recognized as vulnerable persons), but other members are not eligible and must find other housing after 150 days. This situation arises when the institution where the family currently lives provides only state humanitarian housing.

If a family wants to continue living together, they must actively seek and find other housing on their own, which has arrangements for both state humanitarian housing and paid housing (on the basis of a lease agreement), as well as have vacant places. You can then contact the KACPU to relocate vulnerable family members to this new housing.

The KACPU does not assist in finding new housing for persons who are not classified as vulnerable persons, nor does it check the availability.

For example, a father and mother with one minor child, aged 4, live in state humanitarian housing, and the period of 150 days to use this housing expires. This accommodation facility does not provide an opportunity to conclude a lease agreement for payment (it provides only state humanitarian housing). Only one parent (father or mother) has the right to remain in humanitarian housing after the expiration of the 150-day period as a vulnerable person with a minor child. The other parent must find housing outside the state humanitarian housing system after this period. In these cases, the family can independently find housing, which, in addition to state humanitarian housing, will provide the other parent with accommodation on the basis of a lease agreement and apply to the KACPU to relocate the whole family in this accommodation.

The right to state humanitarian housing is automatically lost:

• if a person (including vulnerable persons) is removed from housing (except for certain valid exceptional reasons that the KACPU recognizes, e.g., a building that is inaccessible to a person in a wheelchair),
• 150 days after granting the first temporary protection, if you are not a vulnerable person,
• if the person has stopped staying for more than 10 consecutive days and has not informed the provider in writing of the reason and duration of his/her absence from the accommodation,
• if the person moves and their new housing is not provided through the KACPU (i.e., moves to housing that is not considered public humanitarian housing).

If you have moved, you must notify the Department of Asylum and Migration Policy (OAMP) of the change of address. You must notify about the change within 3 working days. More information on notification of changes to the Department of Asylum and Migration Policy (OAMP) can be found on the Information Portal for foreigners in the section “PERSONS WITH TEMPORARY PROTECTION” or in clear instructions. If you do not notify about the change, it may affect your eligibility for humanitarian assistance.

Yes, you can agree with the accommodation provider on the basis of the contract of rent. If you remain residing at the same address (for example, in the same apartment that is no longer in the state registry of humanitarian housing), there is no need to report to the Department of Asylum and Migration Policy (OAMP), as your address remained the same.

The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (in Czech Ministerstvo práce a sociálních věcí – MPSV) or the Labour Office (in Czech Úřad práce) provides more detailed information on the possibilities of receiving humanitarian assistance, taking into account the estimated housing costs that can be received by persons who have been granted temporary protection.