Over 1,500 conflict-affected people in the towns of Kramatorsk (Donetsk Oblast) and Sievierodonetsk (Luhansk Oblast) will be able to move in new apartments in several years. The project, official launched in Kyiv on 15 September, is funded by the Government of Germany through KfW Development Bank, and implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in cooperation with the Ministry for Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories, the city council of Kramatorsk and the civil-military administration of Sievierodonetsk. The duration of the project is five years, total budget is EUR 22.1 mln.

IOM will construct and renovate housing for over 500 families, 80 per cent of whom will be IDPs and 20 per cent will be local residents of Kramatorsk and Sievierodonetsk. The towns were selected for the project due to high influx of IDPs (50,000 and 40,000 people, respectively, according to official records).

The housing units will require affordable rent payments from the beneficiaries, who will also pay utility bills.

“If we want to work towards a dignified and prosperous future for the conflict-affected communities, we have no alternatives but to complement our relief and recovery support with interventions that stem from the deep understanding and acknowledgement of the long-term impact of protracted displacement,” said Anh Nguyen, Chief of Mission at IOM Ukraine. “The results of IOM’s latest survey tell us that only 11 per cent of IDPs in Ukraine currently live in their own housing. As many as 60 per cent of IDPs have been living in rented spaces for over six years, while an additional 17 per cent stay with their relatives or host families. Local communities hosting IDPs still need additional support, from infrastructure development and livelihood opportunities to social cohesion,” Anh Nguyen explained. 

Construction of new apartment buildings within the project will represent a significant boost to urban development of Kramatorsk and Sievierodonetsk and an important socio-economic signal for the entire region. High standards for construction, including energy efficiency and environment protection, will be fulfilled.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM), has been working in Ukraine since 1996, and has scaled up its response since 2014. It has assisted over 514,000 vulnerable IDPs and people in need in 24 regions of Ukraine, providing them with humanitarian aid, livelihood grants, and opportunities for community development and social cohesion.