A working meeting between Deputy Minister Nataliia Kozlovska and UNHCR Representative in Ukraine Bernadette Castel-Hollingsworth took place at the Ministry of Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine. The meeting focused on the implementation of the provisions of the new Law ‘On the Fundamentals of Housing Policy,’ the development of social (rental) housing in communities, and the coordination of UNHCR assistance through the Register of Damaged and Destroyed Property.
After the new law comes into force, the government has six months to adopt the necessary subordinate legislation. In total, around 70 regulatory acts need to be amended for the main document on housing policy to be fully effective. The ministry has now drawn up an implementation plan and is preparing the relevant documents that will determine how the new rules will work in practice.
One of the key areas is legislation on social (rental) housing. It is important for us to have the support of our partners not only as experts, but also at a strategic level – in forming a shared vision for the long-term transformation of the sector. At the same time, we are working on a State Housing Policy Strategy, which will determine the development of the sector for the next ten years and will serve as a guideline for the state, communities and international partners in implementing housing projects at the local level,” said Nataliia Kozlovska.
A significant part of the meeting was devoted to housing for internally displaced persons and other vulnerable categories of citizens. The discussion focused on the gradual transition from temporary solutions — in particular, temporary accommodation and temporary housing — to full-fledged social housing. This format provides stable housing solutions and helps people integrate into communities more quickly, while also helping local authorities attract the necessary specialists.
“More than 50 social rental housing projects are currently being evaluated through the DREAM system. We see potential for cooperation with UNHCR through support for pilot communities in project preparation, the launch of a transparent housing allocation model, the integration of IDP protection principles at the local level, and the training of local teams. The selection of communities for the pilot construction of such housing, with a total cost of €400 million, of which €100 million is for the first phase, is also ongoing,” added the Deputy Minister.
Bernadette Castel-Gollingsworth emphasised that housing solutions remain critically important for both internally displaced persons and people planning to return to Ukraine from abroad.
‘Safety is important, but the decision to return often depends on the availability of housing. Many IDPs are forced to remain in temporary accommodation due to a lack of alternatives. Therefore, long-term solutions are needed – both for IDPs and for all those affected by the war,’ said the UNHCR Representative in Ukraine.
Separately, the parties discussed the possibility of converting temporary accommodation into social housing. UNHCR has already invested significant resources in such facilities in various regions and is interested in developing this model together with the Ukrainian government.
Another important area is compensation for damaged housing, which is provided through the Register of Damaged and Destroyed Property with the support of the World Bank and the state budget. Applications are submitted electronically, communities confirm the extent of damage and determine the amount of assistance, and all information is accumulated in a single system accessible to state authorities and international partners. At the same time, humanitarian programmes — in particular repairs and other housing support — also provide significant amounts of assistance, but data on this does not enter the register.
According to the Deputy Minister, synchronisation of state programmes and international aid is crucial to avoid double funding of the same households. The Ukrainian side is ready to provide partners with access to the register to enter information about the support provided.
In addition, the registry data serves as evidence for the international damage registry, so its completeness is of fundamental importance. Currently, communities often lack complete statistics on assistance from international organisations, which complicates the assessment of real needs and the planning of further housing solutions.
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