Introduction and objective:
Providing proper care for the homeless population in Poland requires the intensification of social and medical aid. Before the COVID19 pandemic, the situation of people experiencing homelessness in Kraków was slowly improving. The pandemic caused difficulties in the availability of assistance for people in the crisis of homelessness, especially when it comes to health care. The places offering refuge for the homeless need to take more preventive measures in order to prevent the spread of the pandemic..

Objective:
The aim of the work was to collect data on medical and social assistance for people in the homeless crisis in Krakow, to present the assistance possibilities of these institutions and a brief description of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemicon these services.

Material and methods:
Diagnostic survey performed between February and March 2021 in fourteen institutions offering refuge for the homeless people in Cracow. To collect data, we used the diagnostic survey method. As a research tool, we applied our own questionnaire containing original questions.

Results:
In fourteen surveyed institutions there were together 573 places to sleep. All establishments offered daily access to showers, ten provided meals for residents and eleven – a place for self-preparation of food. Eight out of fourteen places offered access to medical care. The pandemic COVID-19 caused difficulties and delays in access to health care, which is especially dangerous for homeless people as they often suffer from many chronic illnesses.

Conclusions:
Institutions providing help for the people in crisis of homelessness need to adjust better to working in the pandemic conditions. This is a topic worth discussing and developing further.