EVAM

What EVAM does

EVAM (Établissement Vaudois d'Accueil des Migrants) is a public law establishment mandated by the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland, to receive and accompany migrants assigned to the canton who seek Swiss protection. Headquartered at Route de Chavannes 33 in Lausanne, EVAM operates as a non-profit, government-owned entity funded primarily through cantonal subsidies administered by the Service de la population du canton (SPOP). The organization employs more than 1,000 people across more than 70 professions and serves multiple beneficiary segments including asylum seekers, refugees (including a dedicated Ukrainian refugee pathway), unaccompanied minors (MNA), and migrants transitioning to private apartments or host families. Service delivery is structured around seven operational domains: ForMI (training and integration measures including fide-certified French language assessment and professional training); Foyers (50+ collective housing facilities across Vaud); Accompagnement en appartement (social work for migrants in private housing); MNA (specialized protection for unaccompanied minors in partnership with SCTP and DGEJ); Assistance (financial and in-kind welfare); Infrastructures (property management and fire safety); and La Recyclerie (a social enterprise housing bicycle and creative workshops with partner associations).

The organization does not operate a unified software product; its offerings are public welfare and integration services delivered through physical infrastructure, trained personnel, and statutory mandate. Digital presence is limited to a WordPress institutional website (evam.ch), a Teamtailor careers portal, and basic web analytics (Google Analytics, Matomo). Auxiliary revenue streams are nominal and include unit-priced fide language tests (CHF 120-250 per test) and recycled bicycle sales (CHF 20-30 per bicycle) at La Recyclerie, but these are immaterial to overall economics. Distribution is entirely direct and statutory: beneficiaries are assigned to the canton via the Swiss federal asylum system and routed into EVAM services without commercial go-to-market motion. The organization's competitive position rests on its exclusive cantonal mandate, dense network of 50+ foyer locations, certified fide assessment capacity, and deep partnerships with communes (UCV, AdCV), the Bureau Cantonal de l'Intégration, civil society associations, and the Direction générale de l'enfance et de la jeunesse.

Name

EVAM

Legal name

Etablissement Vaudois d'Accueil des Migrants (EVAM)

Website

https://evam.ch

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

EVAM is a public cantonal establishment in Lausanne, Switzerland, mandated by the Canton of Vaud to receive, house, and integrate migrants assigned to the canton, including asylum seekers, Ukrainian refugees, and unaccompanied minors, through a network of 50+ foyers and integration programs serving more than 1,000 employees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Refugee and Migrant Reception Services

NAICS

Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (925120), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Refugee Reception & Registration (BPADAHAA), Refugee & Humanitarian Newcomer Orientation (Resettlement Support) (EDAAADAI), Asylum & Refugee Status Determination (RSD) Support (BPADAHAB)

Keywords

• Migrant reception services
• Asylum seeker assistance
• Language training programs
• Refugee housing services
• Social integration support

Headquarters

HQ city

Lausanne

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Cantonal Subsidies: EVAM is a public institution of cantonal law, primarily funded through subsidies from the Service de la population du canton (SPOP), the main subsidizing authority. Financial management includes debtor management, treasury, creditors, and preparation of subsidy requests.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

EVAM is a public law establishment mandated by the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland, that receives, houses, assists, and accompanies asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants assigned to the canton. It operates a network of more than 50 collective shelters (foyers), provides financial and material assistance, delivers French language training and fide certification, supports socio-professional integration, and runs specialized programs for unaccompanied minors and community initiatives such as La Recyclerie.

Product overview

EVAM is a public institution providing comprehensive reception, assistance, and integration support services to migrants assigned to the canton of Vaud, Switzerland. Rather than a unified software product, EVAM operates as a multi-domain service organization comprising distinct operational areas: (1) ForMI — Formation et mesures d'intégration — which delivers French language courses, the fide language assessment, and practical training programs including restaurant, auxiliary healthcare, and cleaning services; (2) Foyers — collective housing structures across Vaud staffed by social workers and caretakers; (3) Accompagnement des migrants en appartement — supporting migrants in private housing through social work, career orientation, and regional coordination; (4) Mineurs non accompagnés (MNA) — specialized protection for unaccompanied minors; (5) Assistance — financial and in-kind welfare benefits administration; (6) Infrastructures — property management, logistics, and fire safety; and (7) La Recyclerie — a social enterprise offering bicycle repair training, creative workshops, and a library of objects. EVAM does not offer a software product in the traditional sense; its 'products' are public welfare and integration services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Héberger un migrant: A program that allows individuals or families to offer temporary accommodation to a migrant.
• La Recyclerie
• Atelier vélo
• Atelier créatif
• fide

Products and services

• Test fide Mandated language proficiency test administered for the Swiss State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), evaluating oral and written French skills for daily life in Switzerland for persons aged 16 and above, delivering language passports at A1, A2, or B1 levels.
• Foyers (Collective housing structures) Network of more than 50 collective accommodation facilities providing housing, social work support, orientation, and security to migrants across the Canton of Vaud, staffed by social assistants, caretakers, welcome staff, and security personnel.
• Mineurs non accompagnés (MNA) program Specialized protection and care program for unaccompanied minors seeking asylum, offering dedicated housing structures, socio-educational support, legal representation by curateurs, and preparation for transition to adulthood.
• Accompagnement des migrants en appartement Social accompaniment services for migrants living in private apartments or with host families, including social work assistance, career orientation and employment support, and regional coordination for integration activities toward autonomy.
• Héberger un migrant Hosting program that allows individuals or families to offer temporary accommodation to a migrant, facilitating social integration through direct human connection and cultural exchange.
• La Recyclerie Community recovery center in Lausanne that brings together multiple associations focused on object recovery, skill transmission, and social cohesion, hosting a bicycle repair workshop, a creative arts studio, and affordable bicycles for sale.
• Formation et mesures d'intégration (ForMI) Training and integration domain offering semi-intensive and intensive French language courses, educational monitoring, practical training programs (auxiliary healthcare, kitchen aide, server, cleaning professional), and restaurant/hospitality training with recognized certifications.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1000 employees in more than 70 different professions serving thousands of migrants annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• La ManivelleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocated at La Recyclerie, La Manivelle is an object library that encourages borrowing rather than buying, promoting sustainable consumption and community sharing.
• RamptogominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation that designs LEGO access ramps to improve accessibility and raise awareness among the population about accessibility issues.
• PAIRESminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation that creates tandems between people familiar with Swiss life and migrants, facilitating cultural exchange and integration support.
• Service des curatelles et tutelles professionnelles (SCTP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCTP provides curateurs (guardians) for unaccompanied minors from the moment of their arrival, representing them legally throughout their time with EVAM.
• Direction générale de l'enfance et de la jeunesse (DGEJ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDGEJ authorizes the functioning of MNA structures and exercises surveillance over them, working closely with EVAM on unaccompanied minors' care.
• Bureau Cantonal de l'Intégration (BCI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBCI provides accompaniment measures for municipalities when new EVAM sites are opened, part of the working group on equitable distribution.
• Unión des communes vaudoises (UCV) and AdCVcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe two associations of Vaud communes collaborate with EVAM and cantonal authorities on migrant distribution and housing site coordination.
• Associations, foundations, and communescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExternal partners that collaborate with EVAM's Formation and Integration Measures domain to complement French courses, offering both in-person and online language learning across Vaud.
• Urban TrainingminorOthersProvides free group sports activities that EVAM recommends to migrants for health and social integration.
• Carte cultureminorOthersCultural card that provides discounts on many cultural and sports activities, recommended to migrants for integration and social participation.
• Benevol-jobs.chminorOthersVolunteering platform that lists volunteer opportunities in Vaud, recommended for migrants who wish to volunteer and integrate.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Schweizerisches Rotes Kreuz (Swiss Red Cross): National humanitarian organization providing migrant support, asylum services, and integration programs across Switzerland. Broader remit but overlapping service categories with EVAM.
• Caritas Schweiz: Large Swiss NGO delivering refugee and migration support services including integration programs, legal aid, and social accompaniment nationwide — broader scope than EVAM but overlapping in service lines.
• ORS Service AG: Swiss private operator running federal asylum centers and providing migrant services under contract to the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM). Differentiates itself as a private-sector counterpart to cantonal institutions like EVAM.

Emerging players

• Solidaritätsnetz Bern: Bern-based migrant accompaniment network providing housing, integration support, and advocacy — comparable to EVAM's accompaniment model in another regional setting.
• HEKS: Swiss NGO offering refugee support, integration programs, and unaccompanied minor services, with strong national reach and overlap in socio-educational accompaniment.

Direct peers

• Hospice général: Geneva's cantonal public institution responsible for receiving, housing, and assisting asylum seekers and refugees assigned to the canton — the closest structural equivalent to EVAM in another Swiss canton.
• Asyl-Organisation Zürich (AOZ): Zurich's cantonal organization providing migrant reception, housing, and integration services. Mirrors EVAM's mandate structure in a different canton at significant scale.

Regional players

• CCSI Genève (Centre Genevois de Consultation pour Consommateurs et Personnes Dépendantes): Geneva-based migrant support organization providing asylum accompaniment and integration assistance — structurally similar to EVAM but serving Geneva's canton.
• Centre Social Protestant Vaud (CSP Vaud): Vaud-based NGO providing social services including migrant support, legal aid, and integration assistance — overlapping beneficiary base with EVAM within the same canton.

Others

• Asylkoordination Schweiz: National umbrella organization coordinating Swiss refugee and asylum NGOs. Not a direct operator like EVAM, but ecosystem-relevant given its role in policy coordination and advocacy across the same beneficiary base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/evam.ch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/evam

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about EVAM