Poland

WebsiteA wireframe globe https://www.habitat.pl
PhoneA smartphone +48 790 210 104

 

Country facts:

 

  • Capital city – Warsaw
  • Population – 38 million
  • Life expectancy – 79 years
  • Unemployment rate – 3.37%
  • Below poverty line – 15.4%

 

Find more country facts on: CIA The World Factbook – Poland

 

Habitat Facts

Habitat started in Poland in 1992.

•Individuals served in FY2022 –  3,360

  • Through incremental construction –  465                     
  • Through rehab –   65
  • Through repairs –   40
  • Through market development –  2,790

•Volunteers engaged in FY2022 –  286

 

The housing need in Poland

Poland lacks about 1.5 million affordable homes. About 14% of Poles live in substandard conditions. Out of this figure, 35.7%, or 13.5 million people, live in overcrowded conditions.

Among those between 15 and 29 years old, the overcrowding rate reaches 48.5%. Poland builds too few housing units, while the rent market accounts for only 4% of the total housing stock.

Historically, the housing sector has been neglected in Poland, especially for low-income families. The number of apartments built annually has not improved the situation. Poland has 407 apartments for every 1,000 inhabitants, one of the lowest rates in the European Union.

How Habitat addresses the need

Innovative housing solutions
Habitat for Humanity Poland designs innovative solutions to respond to the housing problems. We also facilitate the repurposing of empty spaces, bringing together various stakeholders to increase the affordable housing stock in Poland.

Constructions and renovations
We support families facing challenges in accessing decent housing as well as organizations supporting vulnerable people, such as homeless shelters, centers for people affected by violence, nursing homes for people with disability and. Since 2022, we have also started supporting people who have fled the Russia-Ukraine war to access affordable and dignified short- and long-term shelter in Poland.

Advocacy and education
We increase public awareness of housing problems and advocate for the improvement of housing policies. Currently, Habitat Poland is advocating for legislative changes to increase access to social rental housing. We promote replicable and scalable housing solutions to maximize the impact and build resilience.  

Volunteering

Every year, Habitat Poland mobilizes corporate and individual volunteers who renovate houses with the families as well as share their expertise.

What you can do

DONATE

Please donate via habitat.org/donate/poland or visit habitat.org/donate and select “Designate your donation” to donate to Habitat Poland.

VOLUNTEER

The Global Village program is resuming region by region until a safe and quality experience can be provided at scale worldwide. Please visit habitat.org/gv for more information.

TITHE

Habitat affiliates in the U.S. support the international work through an annual tithe. For additional information, email [email protected] or contact your local Habitat organization.

 

CONTACT

Website: www.habitat.pl

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +48 790 210 104

 

Stories and news

Turning Empty Buildings into Homes. How Bytom Shows a New Way Forward in Affordable Housing

December 15, 2025

In the heart of Bytom, a historic 19th-century tenement building on Piekarska Street, Poland, has been given a new life. Long abandoned and deteriorating, the building has been transformed into four warm, safe, and modern apartments, offering families—including Ukrainian refugees and local residents—a chance to call this central Silesian city home. What was once a vacant, neglected property is now a symbol of hope, cooperation, and sustainable urban regeneration. It is proof that solving Europe’s housing crisis does not always require new construction—sometimes it’s about breathing new life into what already exists.

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New housing research. Turning Vacant Spaces into Social Housing in Poland

December 14, 2025

Poland’s housing challenge is often framed as a problem of shortage. Yet across the country, thousands of buildings stand empty or underused—many of them publicly owned—while access to affordable housing remains out of reach for low-income households and vulnerable groups. This contradiction lies at the center of a new research (August 2025) study exploring how non-residential vacancies could become part of the solution.

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From Empty Spaces to Homes: Abandoned Tenement in Piaseczno Gets a New Lease of Life

September 16, 2025

On Monday, 8 September, renovation works began at 1 Nadarzyńska Street, led by a team of 21 employee volunteers from Australia, Canada, China, Croatia, Denmark, France, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Slovakia, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. Swapping their work places for paint rollers, the group traded business attire for hard hats and work clothes, following safety training before diving into four days of hands-on renovation.

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