On 18 March, the Government of Ukraine approved the Ukraine Plan for the Ukraine Facility, which will be the base for the European Union’s financial support to Ukraine in the amount of EUR 50 billion over 2024-2027. The Plan includes a list of reforms and investments grouped into 15 chapters. On 16 April, the document was approved by the European Commission, and in May, the EU Council will make a decision on final approval.

The plan includes reforms for the development of social housing. In particular, the section on Human Capital identifies “ensuring access to housing for people in need” as one of the areas of reform:

To ensure access to housing for people in need, a comprehensive policy and regulatory framework needs to be established through the adoption of the Law “On the Basic Principles of Housing Policy”, the preparation of a National Housing Strategy, and related reforms to build usable social and affordable housing systems. These combined reforms will guide housing sector recovery efforts to develop an effective system of social and affordable housing

Indicators of reform implementation include the enactment of the law “On the Basic Principles of Housing Policy” by the end of 2025 and the enactment of a new version of the law “On the Social Housing Fund” by the end of 2026.

According to the Plan, the allocation of investments should be based on “the results of best practice research” as part of the housing policy monitoring and evaluation system. The document suggests transforming housing waiting lists into a single electronic system. As for social housing, it is proposed, in particular, to improve the decision-making procedure of local governments and to establish a mechanism for renting such housing. The plan recognises the need to take into account European experience and pilot projects at the local level when developing housing programmes.

Cedos welcomes and supports this reform plan. In 2023, the organisation provided its proposals to the Government of Ukraine and the European Commission, calling for the development of social housing to be included in the Ukraine Plan and the Ukraine Facility. Cedos participated in consultations with representatives of the Government and the Commission on the preparation of the Plan.

Cedos’ proposals included aligning Ukrainian housing policy with European approaches, developing a National Housing Strategy, improving the legal framework for the creation of social housing by local authorities, determining the cost of renting social housing, creating a unified register of housing needs, and strengthening the monitoring and evaluation of housing policy through data analysis.

We welcome the fact that the Ukraine Plan is in line with our proposals on housing reform. The inclusion of social housing in this document is a recognition of its importance and priority. The development of social housing will help to overcome the negative effects of the war and strengthen social cohesion.

Cedos director Ivan Verbytskyi

In 2023, Cedos participated in the development of the draft law “On the Basic Principles of State Housing Policy”. In addition, the organisation analysed the needs and challenges of housing policy at the local level, and held a several-day Housing Leadership Lab workshop for representatives of local government, civil society, and the relevant ministry. Housing was the main topic of last year’s Ukrainian Urban Forum. In 2022, Cedos analysed the state of the social housing system in Ukraine and proposed principles for updating housing policy.

In addition to housing reforms, Ukraine Plan for the Ukraine Facility also envisages investments by a) providing compensation to people whose housing was destroyed or damaged as a result of the war; b) providing housing for veterans with disabilities, families of fallen defenders, and veterans who are internally displaced.

Among other reforms, the Human Capital section includes the development of 1) vocational and 2) preschool education, 3) improvement of the rehabilitation system for people with disabilities and 4) introduction of a system of transition from military service to civilian life, 5) deinstitutionalisation measures, approval of the 6) Employment Strategy, 7) Demographic Strategy and 8) Strategy for the Development of Ukrainian Culture, and 9) the introduction of procurement of social services from the state budget.