From emergency relief to empowerment: Transitioning government-led social entrepreneurship practices to support Ukrainian refugees

Abstract

This rapid response paper seeks to support Sanctuary Ukraine (SU), a municipality-led initiative that has augmented its traditional governmental work with social entrepreneurship practices to provide services for Ukrainian refugees. SU initially focused on emergency reception and housing services with the support of external NGOs and volunteer groups. However, as the Russia-Ukraine war persists well into 2025—and with it the prolonged displacement of Ukrainian residents—SU has increasingly shifted its focus toward activities aimed at empowering refugees over the long term. We identify three problems that have emerged during this transition, and drawing on existing evidence in the academic literature, we offer concrete recommendations for adapting SU's activities (taking a translational research approach). First, we propose strategies for nurturing community collaboration toward common goals to mitigate competition and conflict that can arise within a fragmented refugee community. Second, we show how refugee identity narratives can be grounded in a sense of personal value and belonging to foster commitment to integration among refugees who feel caught between repatriation and settling in the host country. Lastly, we suggest ways in which institutional structures and processes can be leveraged to shelter refugees from the debilitating effects of prolonged and indeterminate uncertainty.