Four New Psychosocial Support Centres Opened in Odesa Region

Comprehensive support close to local communities

The new centres provide support tailored to individual needs. Multidisciplinary teams offer psychological and psychiatric assistance, psychoeducation, career guidance and information, legal assistance, as well as physical and sports rehabilitation. Where necessary, people using the services are also referred to other specialists and relevant services.

Support is available both directly at the centres and through mobile outreach teams. As part of the project, all centres received vehicles, enabling them to provide support to residents in different locations.

Partnership in support of Ukraine

During the opening ceremonies, Artur Grossman, Development Cooperation Representative at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Ukraine, highlighted the importance of cooperation between European and Ukrainian partners in developing local support systems.

Thanks to the joint efforts of the European Union, Polish partners, the Ukrainian state and local authorities, we can create and develop such centres. I would like to express my respect to those defending Ukraine, those providing psychosocial support, and to the people who have the courage to seek it – said Artur Grossman.

The ceremonies were also attended by Ruslan Prykhodko, Deputy Minister for Veterans Affairs of Ukraine, representatives of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, district administrations and councils, municipal and village authorities, civil society organisations, as well as people using the services, journalists and local residents.

18 centres across five regions of Ukraine

The opening of four centres in the Odesa region is part of the expansion of the psychosocial support model developed and implemented by the Representation of the Solidarity Fund PL in Ukraine. The model was first launched in 2023 in the Rivne region and was subsequently expanded to other regions of Ukraine.

Today, the PRO_MentalHealth network includes 18 Psychosocial Support Centres across five regions: Rivne, Zhytomyr, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa and Poltava.

The centres operate at the local level, helping communities develop sustainable services for people affected by the consequences of war. They use modern equipment purchased as part of the project, as well as methods supporting rehabilitation after injuries and trauma, assistance for people experiencing the effects of traumatic experiences, and the process of returning to everyday life.

Their role is not limited to providing individual services. The centres also help people identify their needs, rebuild their personal resources, find opportunities for personal development and strengthen their mental health.

Support tailored to the needs of local communities

Pawel Kost, Head of the Representation of the Solidarity Fund PL in Ukraine, highlighted the importance of cooperation with local authorities in developing a support system that responds to the actual needs of residents.

The entire system should work to help people become stronger. I sincerely hope that the Centres will become places where everyone who needs support can actively contribute to their work and help shape the future development of these institutions – said Pawel Kost.

All Psychosocial Support Centres in the Odesa region are municipal institutions managed by local councils. By the end of July 2026, Centre specialists had provided more than 10,000 services in total.

The project “Comprehensive Support for Children, Families and Communities Affected by the War” is funded by the European Union and implemented by the Representation of the Solidarity Fund PL in Ukraine as part of the PRO_MentalHealth psychosocial programme.