Housing vouchers programme for internally displaced persons from temporarily occupied territories: over 25,000 applications in one month

Over 25,000 people have submitted applications for housing vouchers in the first month since the launch of the programme for internally displaced persons from temporarily occupied territories. The first stage of the programme, developed by the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development, is currently underway. It covers military personnel with combat veteran status and people with war-related disabilities who were forced to leave their homes.

“Over 90% of applications are from our military personnel, combat veterans. This clearly shows that the programme meets the real needs of people who are defending the country and have lost their homes. The new component of eVidnovlennia makes it possible to obtain housing even if the property remains in temporarily occupied territory and cannot be inspected. Previously, people whose homes were left in TOT could not receive compensation; thanks to the programme, this approach has been changed. We are working with international partners to scale up the programme so that it becomes available to as many families as possible who have lost the opportunity to return home,” emphasised Oleksii Kuleba, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration and Minister for Communities and Territories Development.

To date, nearly 800 positive decisions have been approved by the relevant commissions in communities, totalling over UAH 1.5 billion. Applications are reviewed in accordance with established procedures by the relevant local commissions. Processing is ongoing for applications submitted during the first peak week after the programme’s launch. The focus is on ensuring a consistent and transparent review process for each application and timely information to people about decisions made.

Applications have been received from 23 regions of Ukraine and the city of Kyiv. The highest numbers are in Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv regions and the capital – with 2,000 to 4,000 applications recorded in each. Meanwhile, Volyn, Cherkasy and Vinnytsia regions lead in the pace of processing applications and the number of approved decisions.

The largest number of applications for housing vouchers come from people whose homes remain under occupation in Donetsk region – over 8,000 applications. Thousands of applications have also been received from residents of TOT in Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, and nearly 700 from people forced to leave the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

As soon as it becomes possible to reserve funds, every person who has applied and received a positive response will be informed. A housing voucher worth UAH 2 million will allow recipients to purchase a new home.

For 2026, the State Budget already allocates around UAH 14 billion for the housing vouchers programme for IDPs from temporarily occupied territories. This will enable approximately 7,000 families to receive housing vouchers. Work is simultaneously underway on additional funding for the programme, including securing the first tranche of EUR 120 million from the Council of Europe Development Bank. This resource will be sufficient to help around 3,000 more people purchase housing. Negotiations are also ongoing with international partners to attract additional funding – both to cover current demand and for further scaling of the programme.

As a reminder, a housing voucher is an electronic document that allows the purchase of housing in a safe region, investment in new-build property, or use towards mortgage repayments.

At the first stage, only those internally displaced persons who simultaneously meet the following criteria may apply for a voucher:

• have IDP status;
• have combat veteran status or war-related disability status (regardless of whether it was obtained after the full-scale invasion or during the Anti-terrorist Operation / Joint Forces Operation, starting from 2014);
• have confirmation of previous residence in temporarily occupied territory, as reflected in the IDP certificate;
• have a current IDP certificate with an address of actual residence in territory controlled by Ukraine.

Participation in the programme is possible if the applicant and their family (spouse and minor children) do not own other housing in territory controlled by Ukraine, except in cases of outstanding mortgage or housing in areas of active hostilities. Participation is also possible provided the family has not received housing support under other programmes and does not have active applications in eVidnovlennia.

The programme was developed by the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development in collaboration with the Ministry of Digital Transformation, and in partnership with the Ministry for Veterans Affairs and the Ministry of Social Policy, Family and Unity. The programme operates on the basis of the State Register of Damaged and Destroyed Property. Programme partners – Eurasia Foundation, East Europe Foundation, and the World Bank (HOPE project: Housing Repair for People’s Empowerment).