Displaced Syrians are returning home in large numbers amid hopes that the country will return to stable government and recover economically.

More than 825,000 people who were displaced within Syria have returned to their neighbourhoods and more than 235,000 have returned from abroad since the fall of the Assad regime last December, according to UN data.

The UN refugee agency UNHCR says it is working with governments in the main refugee-hosting countries – including Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon – to assist in the voluntary repatriation of Syrians who choose to return.

Around six million Syrian refugees still living in the region and beyond are expected to return home in the coming months.

The UNHCR has said many are assessing the political and security developments before making a decision and that any returns must be informed and voluntary, while support for refugees and the countries hosting them should be maintained in the meantime.

Despite large numbers of returnees to Syria, issues remain.

Nearly two million people are still in displaced in the northwest of the country, and many are living in overcrowded sites and fragile tents.

Among them are more than 615,000 who remain newly displaced across the country since fleeing their homes after 27 November – the date of the start of a major offensive by opposition fighters against the Syrian Army and forces loyal to the Assad regime.

A UNHCR survey of displaced Syrians found that factors preventing refugees from returning home are a lack of housing or access to their properties, concern over the security situation, the disruption to basic services and economic challenges including a lack of jobs.

The survey comes as returning Syrians face considerable needs in the context of a wider humanitarian crisis gripping the nation after years of conflict and economic turmoil.

With many homes damaged or destroyed and health care, infrastructure, water and electricity services disrupted, millions in the country are currently struggling to survive freezing winter temperatures.

Those who have returned say that humanitarian support and financial assistance are essential to help them reestablish their lives while they try to find a stable source of income.

UNHCR and Syrian NGOs, are providing returnees and others in need with basic household items, repairs to damaged homes, emergency cash assistance, support to replace lost identity documents and psychological counselling, among other services.

But the needs are outweighing available resources, with UNHCR is urging the international community to scale-up their support.

UNHCR’s Representative in Syria Gonzalo Vargas Llosa said many returnees had struggled to secure an income and have become overly dependent on humanitarian aid.

“They don’t want that. They want to pay their own way. So, it’s not only an economic issue but also a question of dignity,” he said.

“Without an injection of international support, in terms of more humanitarian aid and early recovery and reconstruction activities, refugee returnees won’t be able to rebuild their lives in Syria and many other refugees in the region and beyond won’t be able to return. The risk is that hope turns into disappointment and frustration, so we need to do much more – and quickly,” he said.

Access to education is also a major challenge for returning refugee children. Many schools are damaged, ill-equipped and suffering from staff shortages. The children themselves must adapt to a new curriculum on top of the upheaval of returning to a country that many have never even seen before.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, who recently visited Syria, described witnessing refugees returning home as “the most moving moment for any UNHCR worker”.

“I feel so emotional to talk to these people and hear their stories, hear their hopes and also their apprehension for what awaits them in a country on its knees after so many years of war and conflict,” he said.

“These people need support. UNHCR is helping them travel back to Syria in cooperation with the Government of Jordan, which has been so generous all these years, and we will also be helping them on the Syria side.

“They will need immediate assistance, but more than anything else, Syria needs a recovery program – needs services, needs infrastructure, needs houses, needs jobs for the people who return and for all the people of Syria in this new era.”