Problem addressed

Ireland has granted Temporary Protection to over 119,000 displaced Ukrainians since the full-scale invasion began in 2022. Local authorities and community organisations are tasked with integration of these newcomers at a time of accommodation and other resource shortages. Teams and systems are under strain and efforts often prioritise immediate needs over innovative, sustainable solutions.

In our experience, current approaches to refugee integration have many strengths yet tend to be fragmented across regions, while lacking a holistic, person-centered perspective that recognises the potential benefits for both newcomers and host communities. Despite the wealth of existing relationships, knowledge and opportunities at the local level, community consultation is rarely leveraged effectively to promote agency and build meaningful, lasting connections. 

In the absence of a cohesive national integration strategy, regional and local responses remain reactive and under-analysed. The potential of technology to support integration - through ethical, data-informed, cost effective, and non-biased solutions - is largely untapped.

Innovative solution

Communities across Ireland and the EU have stepped up to welcome Ukrainian newcomers in resourceful and compassionate ways. Since 2022, Helping Irish Hosts has matched over 3,000 Ukrainian BOTPs into Irish homes and communities and has seen the long-term benefits of the informal integration support resulting from these hosting arrangements. Meanwhile, Pairity’s data-driven, multi-dimensional approach is being applied in Germany and other international contexts, to optimise refugee relocation in line with individual skills and community capacities.

Community Connect, known locally as Co.Here, brings together HIH’s community-led approach, Pairity’s matching algorithm and research-based methodologies from UCD to develop and trial an approach to creating tailored integration pathways for Ukrainian BOTPs and host communities, one that can be scaled to allow for a joined-up, data-informed approach across regions and groups.

The preference-based matching takes into account the skills, background, specific needs and social interests of Ukrainian newcomers and is designed to encourage participant agency and playing an active role in their integration, which differs from typical top-down, more generalised integration service models. Rather than duplicating, the model is built to connect to what already exists within communities and identify potential gaps or barriers for migrants. The characteristics and needs of host communities are factored into the matching process, encouraging active participation in the integration process and promoting long-term social cohesion. 

Feedback and user insights are collected through UCD’s qualitative research and HIH’s community coordinators to continuously refine and improve the matching platform.

Key results and benefits

By the end of 18 months, the funding will have enabled us to pilot an approach that has directly supported Ukrainian cohorts across six communities in Kildare, while establishing strong partnerships and laying the foundations for a tool that can be implemented in other regions and contexts to foster social inclusion and improve integration outcomes.

Community Connect is underpinned by academic research to understand the needs, experiences and ambitions of BOTPs and community stakeholders, ensuring a participatory approach that uses real feedback and continuous testing to develop a system that is fair, practical, and meets the needs of those using it. Participant outcomes are measured in terms of engagement with local education, employment and health matches, improved language confidence, benefits resulting from social connections, and increased sense of belonging. Since integration is a two-way process, positive outcomes and challenges encountered by host communities are also being captured.  

While still in the implementation and testing phase, a number of potential benefits have been identified so far, including: 

• Streamlined and Accessible Integration Support - The model offers tailored support for newcomers, promoting individual agency and participation in community life, rather than relying on generalised, top-down approaches that focus on immediate needs upon arrival. Due to the tool’s digital nature, it is designed to improve with use and offers the potential to equalise access to resources and information as it is rolled out across more regions.
• Enhanced Community Engagement - It provides a pathway for communities to welcome newcomers more effectively, fostering solidarity and mutual understanding.
• Increased Efficiency for Service Providers - By streamlining processes, the model could free up time for integration workers and service providers, allowing them to focus on the more complex needs of vulnerable groups.
• Greater Collaboration in Service Delivery - Insights gained from our design, data mapping, and matching processes have the potential to enhance collaboration among the various groups and services engaged in community integration.

UCD’s research and evaluation will measure the project’s impact in these areas and contribute to existing literature and best practice in this space. Key learnings, policy recommendations and training materials will be disseminated at the project’s conclusion through a final conference and other methods among Irish and EU policymakers, local authorities, NGOs and others invested in community integration. 

Potential for mainstreaming

Currently being trialed in Kildare with Ukrainian BOTPs and local partners, Community Connect is designed for scaling to other regions and beneficiary cohorts as a tool to support local authorities and communities in meeting the growing need for sustainable integration.

Pairity’s matching methodology is already being applied in a number of countries to support refugee relocation efforts. Within Community Connect, this tool is being refined and adapted, through applied research and stakeholder feedback, to aid in streamlining and equalising the provision of integration support. Our research looks beyond Kildare, analysing the needs, current practices and strategic direction of organisations within this space and identifying areas for modification and improvement to ensure our approach can be integrated effectively alongside existing efforts.

We are drawing on UCD’s and HIH’s extensive networks including governmental agencies and civil society groups across Ireland to develop a clear pathway for expansion to other regions, with the aim of embedding the model within existing government funding structures such as the Local Authority Integration Teams (LAITs). Partnerships are also being developed with other EU organisations funded through the ESF+ UA call to explore potential barriers and opportunities for transferring the model to other EU jurisdictions. 

Beyond refugee integration, the model also has the potential to be useful in promoting social inclusion and mitigating isolation among internal migrants or other non-migrant groups.