More than 236,000 buildings were destroyed or damaged during the war and more than 2.5 million homes – around 10 percent of the housing stock – have been damaged in some way or are inaccessible due to the ongoing conflict.
The shortage of municipal housing, combined with an under-regulated rental market and large-scale displacement caused by people fleeing war, has put severe pressure on housing availability and affordability, a report says. report published by the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM).
© UNOCHA/Viktoriia Andriievska
An elderly woman evacuated from the Donetsk region now lives in the city of Dnipro.
The UN estimates that around 10.6 million Ukrainians have been forced to flee their homes, almost a quarter of the pre-war population, the majority of whom have left the country.
Two-thirds of the remaining 3.7 million people are struggling to pay for their new homes. For many, their reliance on the rental market has depleted family savings.
Financial burden
According to the report, “the financial burden of rent continues to weigh heavily on displaced households” as they are forced to spend 50 percent or more of their income on rent.
As the war continues in Ukraine, meeting the housing needs of displaced Ukrainians remains a key priority.
“IOM is dedicated to helping internally displaced people and the communities that host them build a sustainable future. This includes training new skills, connecting people with jobs and securing stable housing,” said Robert Turner, IOM Head of Mission of Ukraine.
Humanitarian and development partners continue to help displaced people access housing through financial and legal assistance, as well as through livelihood initiatives, complementing local authorities’ efforts to expand or rehabilitate municipal housing stock.
