On July 10 in Kyiv, the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, with the support of the Council of Europe Projects “Facilitating Housing Solutions for the War-Affected People in Ukraine” and “Enhanced Social Protection in Ukraine”, which are implemented within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction» 2023–2026”, held a public discussion “Housing rental subsidy as a tool of state support for internally displaced persons”. Representatives of the public, international partners, other authorities, and members of parliament participated in the discussion.
Today, the state implements various programs to help those affected by the war address housing issues. However, they only partially meet the needs. The Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine has developed another support tool – a housing rental subsidy for IDPs. This innovation aims to improve the housing conditions for 1.1 million Ukrainians.
“The subsidy should consider the number of family members, rental prices in a specific region, and the ability to pay this rent. At the same time, it will be provided on the condition of signing an official agreement, which will protect the rights of both the tenant and the landlord,” said Dariia Marchak, First Deputy Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine, presenting the project.
It is planned that the subsidy for IDPs will be assigned on a principle similar to that of housing subsidies. It will be calculated individually for each IDP family, considering the established social housing norm, income level, and rental cost. This approach is socially fair, as the subsidy is meant to support the families who need it the most. The introduction of the subsidy will protect tenants' rights and encourage landlords to officially rent out housing, helping bring the real estate market out of the shadows.
Since 2015, the Council of Europe has been implementing projects in Ukraine to support internally displaced persons, and since 2019, projects that deal with the protection of social rights.
Lilja Gretarsdottir, Head of Co-operation Programmes Division, Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, emphasized that the Council of Europe provides support to Ukrainians affected by the war, including IDPs, and offers solutions related to housing. “Our projects have significant results due to coordinated work. Currently, the Council of Europe is implementing a comprehensive Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” for 2023-2026. It already includes 37 projects, and their number is growing as needs increase. This Action Plan aims to strengthen our values and principles: human rights must remain central in Ukraine's recovery process. All reforms must be carried out according to European standards”, emphasized Lilja Gretarsdottir.
Currently, the project is being finalized for submission to the Government, and if approved, it will come into effect within the next few months.
The projects "Facilitating housing solutions for the war-affected people in Ukraine" and “Enhanced Social Protection in Ukraine” are implemented by the Council of Europe within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” for 2023-2026.
