Ukraine’s Ombudswoman: Almost 70% of IDPs from Donbas and Crimea Need Housing

According to an estimate from international organisations, almost 70% of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Ukraine need housing. This information was released by Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Liudmyla Denisova during the presentation of her special report “Enforcement of the right of internally displaced persons to housing.”

“According to rough estimate, about 1% of internally displaced persons have received housing with state support. At the same time, according to international organisations’ estimate, almost 70% of IDPs need housing,” the ombudswoman said.

She also stressed that no official data on IDPs’ housing needs was available at the state level. There is also currently no information on the number of IDPs who have been provided with housing with the support of the state or local self-government bodies.

“Over the entire period of internal displacement, no medium- or long-term decisions to solve the housing problems of citizens have been made at the national or the local level… About 60% [of IDPs] live in rented housing, of whom at least 27% point out the eviction risks due to inability to pay rent,” Denisova said.

She also stated that insufficient targeted assistance to IDPs to cover living expenses “encourages them to return to areas where they may be in danger.” The Ombudswoman also noted that about 65% of IDPs, who returned to live in the temporarily occupied territories, were aged over 60 years.

Denisova reminded that the armed aggression of the Russian Federation had forced about 1.5 million citizens of Ukraine to leave their places of residence and move to other regions of the country.

Bohdan Marusyak