Natalia Kozlovska, Deputy Minister of Communities and Territories Development, together with representatives of the Ministry of Social Policy, met with a delegation from the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation (IFC). The conversation focused on the progress of joint housing projects and plans for further implementation. The emphasis was placed on the development of the affordable rental housing market, in particular in the context of providing housing for internally displaced persons.
“An effective housing policy should be based on a combination of different tools to support citizens: rent, subsidies, mortgages. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. It is the synergy of these mechanisms that will allow us to cover all categories of citizens, taking into account both their financial capabilities and the need for stable housing.
For example, the state housing policy in the context of addressing the housing issue for IDPs should take into account social and economic diversity. These include families with children, single elderly people, young people, people with disabilities, and those with different professional, social and economic opportunities. Each of them has their own life circumstances, experience, employment opportunities, and needs.
Internally displaced persons have different needs depending on their circumstances and requirements. These are Ukrainian citizens who have been forced by the war to leave their place of permanent residence, but who remain within the country, seeking stability and support from the state. Therefore, we must do everything possible to create conditions under which these people will not be forced to return to the temporarily occupied territories or go abroad in search of security and prospects.
We look forward to active cooperation with the World Bank and IFC in this area, especially given our successful joint experience in implementing other housing projects,” said Natalie Kozlovska.
Thus, according to the Deputy Minister, the development of the social housing mechanism is one of the important priorities for the Ministry. This is housing provided for rent on favourable terms. It should become a tool to support both vulnerable categories of citizens (people with disabilities, large families, the elderly, IDPs) and economically active citizens whose income level does not allow them to solve their housing problem on market conditions.
It also envisages the possibility of subsidising rents, including full coverage of costs for those who are unable to pay them. Natalia Kozlovska emphasised that work on the concept of the draft law ‘On Social Housing’ is currently underway.
A separate focus is the priority role of territorial communities in the implementation of housing policy. Nataliia Kozlovska stressed that communities should play a key role in the formation of municipal housing stock, its management and assistance in solving the housing problem of community residents.
Currently, international partners are helping Ukraine to conduct research on the effectiveness of the implemented programmes. In particular, the World Bank is conducting a study on the implementation of housing programmes for IDPs. The Ministry is awaiting its results in order to summarise proposals for the implementation of comprehensive solutions for IDPs.
During the meeting, IFC representatives also presented the results of a study on green and sustainable materials for the reconstruction of Ukraine to the Ministry’s team. The parties discussed the potential for the use and production of these materials in Ukraine, as well as the state of alignment of the regulatory framework with EU standards in the construction materials sector.
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