My research examines a particular group of post-WWII Displaced Persons which has hitherto been largely neglected in the scholarship; namely the so-called ‘hard core’ who were deemed unsuitable for the various resettlement schemes. Rejected primarily for reasons of disability, age, or family composition, a large number of members of this ‘hard core’ remained in refugee camps, primarily in Austria and Germany, for many years after the war’s end – with some even eventually absorbed into the German economy after the closure of the camps. I will research the origins, implications and legacies of this category of ‘hard core’, looking at the impact on both refugees themselves and the humanitarian organisations who work with them.