The families living in Jaffna's Welfare Centres are categorized as long-term displaced, with the earliest displacement taking place in 1983, and families first arriving in the Welfare Centres in 1984. Since then, most of their 'places of origin' were declared - and currently remain - as high security zones (HSZ), so no return has yet been possible.

The tsunami in December 2004 and the resulting massive displacement and devastation caused on coastal areas of the country drew mass media attention and funding to the populations