"Housing is one of our priorities!" – Mariupol residents at a dialogue meeting in Kyiv

Housing is the number one issue for displaced families from Mariupol. Representatives of the Mariupol City Council are telling about the possibilities of getting affordable and social housing at dialogue meetings held throughout Ukraine. 

In Kyiv, Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boichenko spoke about programmes that are already underway and being developed:

"Providing the community with high-quality and affordable housing is a priority for our team. We are currently working with the responsible ministry to develop programmes that will help Mariupol residents improve their living conditions."

Key projects include renovation of existing buildings into high-quality social housing, an affordable lending programme and construction of affordable housing with social rent. At the dialogue meeting, Mariupol residents had the opportunity to get answers to questions on housing and learn more about the programmes. 

Among them was Ms. Natalia. She lived in Mariupol before the full-scale invasion and has been living in Kyiv since 2022:

"I came to the meeting because it is very important as housing is one of my priorities. The city council is doing a lot. Friends from other cities said they envy us for having the "I’Mariupol" centres, which give us hope. I am hopeful of getting housing. It was important to hear the information first-hand, and I find the question-and-answer format extremely useful."

Mr. Andriy has been renting accommodation in the capital since 2022:

"There are social projects, but they are for the military, not for civilians. I’Mariupol offered an alternative for ordinary Mariupol residents. I wanted to find out about preferential loans and the conditions that the Mariupol City Council can offer."

Such meetings help to tell about existing support programmes and suggestions from Mariupol residents for finding effective solutions.