Housing is one of the priority needs of IDPs and other people affected by the hostilities. The government and communities are implementing various programs to support people who have lost their homes and have been forced to move to safer regions of the country. We examined how the national and local authorities ensure the housing rights of each and every person in need in practice.
Between August and December 2023, we analyzed national and local housing policies in Kyiv and 6 communities (Lvivska, Khmelnytska, Uzhhorodska, Mukachivska, Kolomyiska, and Burshtynska), held focus groups with IDPs, and conducted expert interviews. Specifically, we identified which housing programs have been implemented in the target communities, how accessible they are to IDPs, and what challenges IDPs and local authorities face in trying to resolve housing issues.
Based on the results of our work, our legal team has developed recommendations for improving policies in the field of housing rights for IDPs and other people affected by the hostilities.
Read more about the results of the research in an interview with Oksana Savytska, a lawyer with the project.
Oksana Savytska: “The Problem of Providing IDPs with Housing is Becoming Increasingly Urgent for Both the Government and the Communities that Host Them”
Why is it important to identify the real need of IDPs for housing and housing rights support programs?
The problem of providing housing for internally displaced persons is becoming increasingly urgent for both the government and the communities that host them. Revenues to national and local budgets are declining, and the unforeseen consequences and duration of the war also have a negative impact on the development and adoption of durable solutions in the housing sector. According to the forecasts of many international institutions, the longer the war lasts, the more vulnerable the country’s population will be, and the resources that would allow people to survive without outside help will be gradually depleted. That is why it is important to determine the real need of internally displaced persons for housing programs and ensure their accessibility.
During the study, we found out that communities are implementing various programs to support IDPs who have lost their homes and were forced to move. Some of these programs existed before February 24, 2022, while others were implemented only after the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
Communities keep records of internally displaced persons who are on the social housing register, need to improve their living conditions or receive accommodation from the housing stock for temporary accommodation of IDPs. Registration data is used to develop local housing programs and make decisions on housing allocation.
However, the registration data does not reflect information on the actual housing needs of IDPs. For example, the total number of IDP families registered in Kyiv is only 0.7% of the total number of registered IDP families.
What are the key challenges faced by host communities and IDPs identified in the study?
In the course of the study, we interviewed representatives of the executive authorities of territorial communities. They mostly spoke about the following challenges in ensuring housing rights:
- The large number of IDPs;
- Lack of social and temporary housing in the host community;
- Lack of sources for the accumulation of housing stock;
- Outdated housing legislation that needs to be changed and updated;
- The need to find a territory for the construction of modular towns, with access to educational and cultural institutions, urban infrastructure, etc., in order to integrate them into urban life as much as possible rather than isolate them;
- Lack of utility infrastructure on the land plots: water supply, sewage, electricity, etc.
How can this kind of study help communities address the issue of temporary housing for IDPs?
Based on the results of our research, we have developed recommendations that should be implemented by the authorities at the national level, as well as separate recommendations for the authorities of each of the communities where we conducted the study. At the same time, I am sure that they will be relevant for other communities in our country.
What are the basic recommendations for improving policies on the housing rights of IDPs and other people affected by the hostilities?
At the national level:
1. To develop amendments to housing legislation to meet current challenges and specific algorithms for the fulfillment of IDPs’ housing rights, in particular in the distribution of housing from the relevant funds, registration of IDPs in need of improved housing conditions, etc.
2. At the executive level, develop a long-term state program to ensure the housing rights of IDPs in terms of emergency, temporary, permanent housing, capital, and current repairs, including on loan terms, as well as funding for certain social categories (pregnant women, people with disabilities, etc.).
3. Develop methodological recommendations and legal mechanisms for the influence of the established IDP Councils on the policy of local authorities, in particular on the realization and protection of the housing rights of IDPs.
4. Increase funding from local budgets for the construction of new housing for IDPs, reconstruction of housing stock, and concessional lending: attract additional funding from international organizations, donor countries, and grant programs, and address the issue of fair allocation of these funds, including through consolidated public information on needs.
5. Develop a mechanism for compensating IDPs for rental costs, including criteria and terms of such compensation.
At the local level:
1. To monitor the housing needs of internally displaced persons to study their real needs for housing programs.
2. Organize free legal support for IDPs to ensure proper protection of their housing rights.
3. Develop and adopt a long-term program for the integration of IDPs into the local community, including long-term housing solutions.
4. Conduct an inventory of all real estate, including that which can be reconstructed for further use as housing.
5. Update the information in the IDP database with the creation of a social card, which will include sections on existing needs.
6. Create a unified database of housing for IDPs, including in terms of waiting lists under various programs, and publish the information.
7. To approve the procedure for compiling a ranking list of registered people in need of housing and to ensure that these lists are made public, providing detailed information on people receiving free housing in the community, including by type of housing and conditions.
8. Create favorable conditions for attracting donors for new construction and reconstruction of housing for IDPs (simplifying the procedure for land allocation, providing access to utilities, organizational support, etc.)
9. Strengthen cooperation with the State Agency for Youth and Housing in the implementation of local housing programs in accordance with CMU Resolutions 584, 481, 980 or on other terms in accordance with Articles 27, 30, 31 of the Law of Ukraine “On Local Self-Government”.
10. Involve IDP Councils in decision-making on the allocation of social/temporary housing. For example, by including them in working groups or commissions in local authorities.
11. Improve the organization of processing information requests and provide more detailed responses to IDPs’ inquiries.
12. Study the experience of local authorities in ensuring the housing rights of IDPs in other communities/regions.
13. To create a database of land plots that can be allocated for the construction of residential buildings for IDPs.
We studied housing programs within the framework of the project “Supporting the Capacity of the Social Protection System to Register Internally Displaced Persons,” funded by the UN Refugee Agency.