Assessment of accommodation availability and accessibility in Bulgaria

Contract

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Since the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022, over 2.1 million refugees from Ukraine have entered Bulgaria. As of mid-December 2023, the Government of Bulgaria has granted Temporary Protection to more than 173,400 refugees fleeing Ukraine, with the majority being women and children. An estimated 52,000 Ukrainian refugees remain within the country as of mid-December 2023. Additionally, Bulgaria, as an external EU border, plays a strategic role in refugee protection within Europe.

In 2022, Bulgaria's State Agency for Refugees (SAR) registered over 20,400 asylum seekers, primarily from Syria and Afghanistan. As of the end of October 2023, more than 19,000 asylum applications have been received by SAR, surpassing the numbers for the same period last year. SAR operates six reception centers for the registration, Refugee Status Determination procedures, and accommodation of asylum seekers. Amid an increase in arrivals of Afghan and Syrian asylum seekers since 2022, UNHCR supports Bulgaria's Government to ensure policies and legislation align with international and EU standards. UNHCR promotes a comprehensive refugee response grounded in a multi-stakeholder, whole-of-society approach.

UNHCR supports government-led efforts to provide key protection, including legal assistance, information on services, education, and psychosocial support. This support extends to reception and accommodation, as well as the delivery of core relief items for winterization and cash assistance for the most vulnerable groups.

The selected candidates will conduct a survey of current accommodation options, including through key informant interviews, and contribute to an analysis of accommodation options, and accessibility and safety concerns in key municipalities (e.g. Burgas, Plovdiv, Ruse, Sofia, Varna), including needs and barriers for refugees.

Selected volunteers will have a chance to learn more on information gathering/monitoring, including on accommodation site monitoring, and UNHCR accommodation policies and the Age, Gender and Diversity Policy, while supporting the team at first hand.

We expect the selected online volunteer(s) to start with this task in February 2024.

• Research available public information (key municipalities, Agency for Social Assistance);
• Interviews with key municipalities in selected locations (e.g. Burgas, Plovdiv, Ruse, Sofia, Varna) on municipality housing projects

• Support an initial overall analysis on accommodation options, and accessibility and safety concerns in key municipalities (e.g. Burgas, Plovdiv, Ruse, Sofia, Varna), including needs and barriers for refugees

• Education or experience in areas such as community-based protection, social work, community work, social studies, research, communication

• Analytical and drafting skills
• Familiarity with refugee or humanitarian work
• Professional integrity and commitment to core humanitarian principles