How Communities Care for Internally Displaced People and Why It Is Necessary to Advocate for Change

Publication date: August 15, 2025

The Legal Development Network, within the framework of an advocacy campaign implemented in cooperation with the humanitarian organization “People in Need” and funded by the Czech Development Agency, is researching systemic issues in providing internally displaced people with decent housing conditions, in order to advocate for certain changes at the local level in the future.

When “temporary” housing becomes permanent

“We prepared and sent inquiries to the executive committees of city councils to determine the availability of housing registers, waiting lists, targeted programs, housing stock, and land that could potentially be used to meet the needs of internally displaced people,” says Advocacy Expert and Director of Legal Services Development at the Legal Development Network, Daria Kovalchuk.

The inquiries concerned Bashtanka, Bereznehuvate, and Halytsynove Hromadas of Mykolaivska Oblast, as well as Kalush, Kolomyia, and Tlumach Hromadas of Ivano-Frankivska Oblast. As it turned out, in many communities, temporary accommodation places are fully occupied. Two of the three Hromadas in Ivano-Frankivska Oblast officially responded that there were no available beds.

“This means that, for example, in the event of a new evacuation from active hostilities areas, there will be nowhere to accommodate these people. Communities no longer have reserves. People living in shelters remain there for years without resolving their housing issues,” explains Legal Development Network expert Liudmyla Yaremchuk.

In addition, after analyzing part of the responses to the inquiries, it became evident that there is a lack of effective programs and mechanisms for providing housing and improving housing conditions for internally displaced people, indicating that communities are not ready to respond to current challenges. According to statistics provided to us by the Ministry of Social Policy, each community is home to more than 1,000 displaced people; in Kolomyia Hromada, this figure exceeds 8,000 people.

“For obtaining housing from the temporary housing stock, a housing register is maintained in Hromadas — internally displaced people are added to this register in order to improve their housing conditions or to be provided with housing. However, we noted that not all Hromadas maintain a housing register for displaced people. For example, Kalush Hromada informed us that no social housing register for displaced people is maintained,” says Liudmyla Yaremchuk.

A Matter of Priorities or Lack of Budget?

Currently, Ukraine has a state program — “Housing Subsidy for Rental Accommodation for Internally Displaced People”, which provides for reimbursement of rental payments within the approved amounts for a particular region, including tax reimbursements. However, at the Hromada level, since the beginning of the invasion, no systemic solution to the housing issue has been ensured.

“We submitted an inquiry regarding the housing register, starting from 2022 until May 2025. During this period, not a single family among internally displaced people has received housing either from the housing stock or from social housing,” shares Liudmyla Yaremchuk.

The Law of Ukraine on Local Self-Government provides that, at the expense of the Hromada, local programs may be adopted and funds allocated in the budget for certain measures related to providing additional social guarantees.

“Internally displaced people are people who require social guarantees; therefore, using local budgets, it was possible, for example, to allocate cash assistance in a certain amount to those who are on the housing register so that they could purchase housing, and thus be removed from the housing register because they would be provided with housing.
Therefore, when we made the inquiry, we were interested in such information — whether funds were allocated in the budget. Unfortunately, the response was that no funds were allocated.
Therefore, we understand that since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022, over such a long period, nothing has been done in this direction,” states Liudmyla Yaremchuk.

Ivano-Frankivska Oblast State Administration responded to the information request that they have an adopted program to support internally displaced people; however, during its implementation, only one family has received housing. Part of the funds for this came from the Hromada budget, and another part — from the Oblast budget.

Why the Kolomyia Hromada Cannot Provide Housing for Displaced People

The Kolomyia Hromada was one of those that, in 2024, announced the construction of housing for internally displaced people for 70 apartments; however, unfortunately, this initiative has still not been implemented.

“At the city hall, I was told that due to the closure of the grant program, because USAID had ceased its support for Ukraine — and American funds were involved there — the entire process stopped at the stage of project and cost documentation, and it will not be resumed under the same program. The local self-government says they are looking for other programs, but in reality, these are just words,” says advocacy expert in the Kolomyia Hromada, lawyer and civic activist, Inna Kolesnyk.

The main argument of local self-government bodies is the lack of financial capacity. However, according to Liudmyla Yaremchuk, using Kolomyia — an economically strong Hromada — as an example, it is clear that the priority has not been chosen in favor of people. For instance, in 2021–2022, the Hromada purchased three apartments for the housing stock for displaced people. But since then, not a single one has been purchased.

“If there is money for pysanky, paving stones, and wrought-iron bus stops, then they could also find money for housing. It is simply a matter of political will,” Liudmyla Yaremchuk is convinced.

According to Inna Kolesnyk, most internally displaced people in the Hromada live in rented housing or in shelters; as for free housing, like at the beginning when people first arrived, no one offers it anymore. And those internally displaced people who have remained to live in the Kolomyia Hromada are people who have nowhere to return to: they are either from occupied territories or their homes have been destroyed. Therefore, they need permanent, their own housing, not temporary. At the same time, there are occasional cases of displaced people returning to temporarily occupied territories because they have run out of savings.

“In the Kolomyia Hromada, there is a housing register, but there are no targeted programs. Our Hromada was one of the first to create a housing stock, but it is not being replenished because municipal housing is not being built and does not exist, and private housing does not enter it because there must be programs and projects that build housing for rent. Land has also not been allocated for this purpose, and a separate program for this has not been provided for in the budget,” says Inna Kolesnyk.

According to the lawyer, by the results of the first half of 2025, the Hromada underperformed its budget by 78% of what was planned. Budget planning for the next year will take place in October. It is very important, before that period, to advocate for the allocation of funds to finance programs that will help address the housing problems of internally displaced people, as planning is carried out based on various indicators, and according to these, the budget is also allocated, in particular for projects.

At one time, Inna Kolesnyk was one of the co-founders of the “Vulyk Zmistiv” project, which, among other things, dealt with housing issues for internally displaced people, creating a housing bank. However, the expert says that at present there is no need for such an initiative, as the project was focused on providing temporary emergency accommodation.

“Most people need their own housing, because it is impossible to live in shelters for so long; no standards or regulations provide for such prolonged residence in temporary shelters. This does not contribute either to integration into society or to personal development; therefore, such a housing bank cannot be discussed at this stage. There is no large influx of newly arrived internally displaced people — only a very small number who can find housing on their own or through contacting the city council. Therefore, even if this initiative were revived, it would not be relevant, because such emergency situations no longer exist.”

Both experts see the solution to the housing issue for internally displaced people in the following steps:

• Work with the IDP Council — find out whether they have raised the issue of obtaining housing and receiving support on this matter from local self-government.
• Informing displaced people — meetings, explaining their rights, assistance with preparing documents (for registration, participation in programs, etc.).
• Joint advocacy campaigns — involve the public, initiate the adoption of housing support programs at the Hromada and Oblast levels.
• Search for donors — with the participation of NGOs and local authorities, create partnership projects with land allocation and involvement of local self-government.
• Direct funds from the state budget, because local self-government cannot afford to provide housing for a large number of people.
• Send inquiries to the Verkhovna Rada and the Government on behalf of the IDP Council, stating the need for permanent housing for internally displaced people, including apartment buildings.

Local self-government bodies need to prepare written justifications that the local budget cannot independently provide housing for internally displaced people and that state funding of such requests is necessary. Appeals can be sent directly through the deputy corps, approved at a session, and supported by documents (surveys, citizen petitions, research, etc.).

If you have notices an error on the web-site, please, highlight the text and press ctrl-enter.