Housing for displaced people through the community: how the new experimental project works

Publication date: July 8, 2026

The government has launched an experimental project to provide internally displaced persons with housing in rural areas. This mechanism has a number of distinctive features, since it involves territorial communities in purchasing housing and subsequently making it available to IDPs. Oleksandra Shcherbyna, lawyer at the Bila Tserkva NGO Pravova Yednist (Legal Unity), explains what the project is about and how the government plans to implement it.

What the project is about

Unlike other housing programmes, this mechanism does not involve transferring ownership of housing to internally displaced persons.

Village, settlement and city councils, or military administrations, may purchase residential houses in villages and settlements using local or state budget funds, as well as international assistance and other sources not prohibited by law. Once purchased, the housing is added to the community’s housing stock and made available to IDPs free of charge.

Who can apply for housing

The programme is open to displaced people who meet all of the following conditions:

• they have been displaced from areas of active hostilities or temporarily occupied territories;
• neither the person nor members of their household own housing in areas where hostilities are not taking place and which are not under temporary occupation;

or

• housing belonging to the person or members of their household has been destroyed or damaged to the point of being uninhabitable;
• they have not received compensation for destroyed housing and have not received a housing voucher under the current legislation;
• over the past six months they have not purchased a plot of land worth more than UAH 100,000 or a vehicle less than five years old (except in the cases provided for by the Procedure).

Who has priority

Priority in taking part in the programme is given to:

• large families;
• persons with disabilities;
• families with children with disabilities;
• orphaned children and persons formerly in that category;
• persons over 23 who, before reaching the age of 18, held the status of an orphan or a child deprived of parental care;
• older people.

Priority is taken into account when applications are considered, where there are several applicants and a limited amount of housing available.

How to obtain housing

The procedure consists of several stages.

1. Finding a property. The search for a residential house is carried out jointly by internally displaced persons, local self-government bodies, and civil society and charitable organisations. The house may be located either within the community’s territory or in another oblast of Ukraine.

2. Preliminary consent of the owner. Once a house has been found, the owner must confirm that they are willing to sell it to the community concerned.

3. Submitting an application. Once the terms have been agreed in principle, the prospective user submits an application to the local self-government body or military administration that maintains the temporary accommodation housing stock. Documents confirming IDP status, family composition and compliance with the established criteria are attached to the application.

4. Inspection of the house. A specially formed commission checks the housing against minimum consumer quality requirements.

Housing may not be purchased if it:

• requires major repairs or reconstruction;
• is not connected to the electricity grid;
• has no centralised or individual heating;
• is uninhabitable;
• cannot be maintained by the community over the following three years.

5. Purchase of the housing by the community. If the commission’s conclusion is positive, the property is valued and a purchase agreement is concluded. The house then passes into communal ownership and is added to the community’s housing stock.

6. Conclusion of the use agreement. No later than five calendar days after the housing is entered on the balance sheet, an agreement on the free use of the housing is concluded with the internally displaced person.

The user and members of their household are obliged to register their place of residence at that address within 30 calendar days of the agreement being concluded.

Important! The programme only works where the community takes part. The experimental project does not involve the centralised allocation of housing by the state. Implementation depends on the decision of the particular territorial community. If a community is not taking part in the experimental project or has no funding to purchase housing, obtaining housing under this programme is not possible. The project runs for two years.

The maximum subvention for purchasing a single property is UAH 500,000. This sum covers not only the cost of the property but also taxes, duties and other payments connected with registering ownership. If the cost of the housing exceeds UAH 500,000, the difference may be covered from the local budget, international assistance, or other sources of funding permitted by law.

For how long the housing is provided

The agreement is concluded for a term of up to three years.

If the person continues to meet the programme requirements and has not acquired other housing, the agreement may be extended for a further term by agreement of the parties.

Can such housing be privatised?

No. Housing purchased under the experimental project remains the property of the territorial community. The legislation expressly prohibits its disposal.

Important! As of today there is no official list of territorial communities taking part in the experimental project. To find out whether the project is being implemented in a particular community, you can contact the local or settlement council, the structural unit responsible for social protection of the population, or the Council on Internally Displaced Persons.

When the right to use the housing can be lost

The right to use the housing may be terminated if, among other things, the person:

• has obtained other housing;
• has ceased to meet the criteria for participation in the programme;
• has failed to report changes in their property situation or family composition;
• has utility debts of more than 90 days;
• has let or sublet the housing;
• has allowed unauthorised people to live there;
• has damaged the housing or community property;
• is fit for work but not employed and has neither found a job nor registered with an employment centre within three months of moving in.

The Resolution on implementing the experimental project can be read in full at this link.

This material was produced by the Legal Development Network public union with the support of the international charitable platform GlobalGiving. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the Legal Development Network.

Cover photo for the article: depositphotos.com

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