A Project of the Welcome Policy Aimed at Integrating Newly Arrived Residents into the Community Was Presented in Vinnytsia

The main goal of the Welcome Policy is to organize the most acceptable and safe living conditions in Vinnytsia for people and families who came to the city for permanent residence or visited for study, work and tourism. The project also addresses the issues these people face as well as the formation of effective programs for their inclusion in the life of the city and the community as a whole.

"Welcome Policy is steps and measures for those people who come to Vinnytsia from other countries, other cities, nearby villages, and want to integrate here and become Vinnytsia residents. These people do not always know where to turn for social services, are poorly oriented in the city and do not know how to move. Therefore, the next step after the implementation of the Welcome Policy will be the development of the Welcome Handbook, which will be a kind of cheat sheet for newly arrived residents," said Valentyna Tkachuk, director of the Institute of Urban Development.

The development of the Welcome Policy is one of the projects included in the Intercultural Strategy of Vinnytsia City Territorial Community and implemented with the support of the German government company Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. Research on the development of a new successful Welcome Policy in the city is conducted by a team of think tanks Center for Strategic Development and Center for Sociological Research of Melitopol State Pedagogical University named after Bohdan Khmelnytskyi in partnership with Vinnytsia City Council. Deputy Mayor Halyna Yakubovych noted that Vinnytsia City Territorial Community is the first in Ukraine to introduce a Welcome Policy.

"Vinnytsia is always friendly to guests and those who come to our community to live, study and work. Vinnytsia is a multinational city with different communities and foreign students. During their studies, they joined the life of Vinnytsia community and became its full-fledged residents. I believe that the adoption of such a policy will make Vinnytsia more open and hospitable. The city should be comfortable for every resident, regardless of nationality, gender or age," said Deputy Mayor Halyna Yakubovych.

In March-April, experts conducted a sociological study "New Vinnytsia residents on choosing a city, meeting with the city and life in the city."

"Newly arrived residents note that they chose Vinnytsia not by chance. Here is a good logistics location, comfortable living standards, the opportunity to find a good job, and friendly people live in Vinnytsia. They also like the fact that the city has many educational institutions, there are opportunities for business and cultural development, as well as the presence of tourist attractions," said the coordinator of the Intercultural Cities Program in Vinnytsia Yuliia Kashpruk.

Among the main goals of Welcome Policy are development of hospitality network in Vinnytsia, creating conditions for the development of quality, affordable housing for rent and purchase, promoting the registration of newcomers, expanding employment opportunities, developing a system of adapted signs and guidance tools in the city, improving image and information attractiveness of Vinnytsia, in particular, services at railway stations and station areas.