Welcome Home: Community Resilience in Hosting Ukrainian Refugees

Following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, over 170,000 Ukrainian refugees have sought protection in Italy. In response to this emergency, thousands of Italian citizens opened their homes to host them, facing various challenges such as financial strain, disrupted routines, and emotional burden. This study examines the perceived community resilience of Italian host communities during the reception of Ukrainian refugees following the Russian attack on Ukraine. We argue that community resilience offers a useful construct to understand how local communities cope with the demands of sudden large-scale reception. Based on 24 semi-structured interviews conducted between December 2022 and May 2023 with Italian hosts, thematic analysis revealed key factors shaping their experience: the definition of community, perceived social support, access to information and communication, and sense of belonging. Our findings highlight that both material resources and emotional connection to the community were key in sustaining hosts engagement. These insights can inform reception policies and support mechanisms for host communities in future emergencies related to forced migration.