Over 4,000 houses restored for IDPs: how communities find housing.

According to ТСН: Abandoned and partially destroyed houses that stood empty for years have become a real salvation for many Ukrainians forced to leave their homes due to the war. In the village of Sofiivka in Dnipropetrovsk region, the community has provided shelter for almost thousand IDPs, and charitable organizations have taken on the repairs of the housing.

Over the past year, the Caritas Kryvyi Rih Foundation has created comfortable conditions for dozens of families. More details about this below.

Housing for Specialists

Eduard Vashechko, along with his wife and children, has been living in Sofiivka for less than a year, having left Kreminna in Luhansk region in 2022.

Eduard Vashechko, IDP from Kreminna: “The fighting began. My mother-in-law was almost killed, the Russians started shelling the settlements. We left on April 6th, and they entered on the 18th.”

After many difficulties in shelters, the family learned that a radiologist was needed in Sofiivka. This helped both Eduard and his nurse wife find work, as the community suffers from a shortage of medical workers. The local authorities are ready to purchase housing for doctors to keep them in the village.

Petro Segedii, Sofiivka village head: “To support doctors, we have allocated funds in the budget. As soon as IDPs began to arrive, we immediately took inventory of buildings that we would use for their accommodation.”

Thousands of Restored Homes

Charitable organizations are helping to restore houses that have long remained empty. The Caritas Kryvyi Rih Foundation has renovated nearly two dozen private houses and several communal facilities in Sofiivka.

Father Ivan Talaylo, director of the Caritas Kryvyi Rih fund: “Houses have been renovated in both Dnipropetrovsk and Kherson regions; we previously worked there more actively. Already over 4,000 houses have been restored. These are minor and medium repairs; major ones have not been done yet.”

For many families, such repairs have become critically important. Oleksandr Zinchenko, an IDP from Soledar, cares for his grandchildren. He hid with them in a basement for three weeks before he dared to move.

Oleksandr Zinchenko, IDP from Soledar: “The first winter was terribly cold. The windows were in terrible condition… But now I’ve filled them twice — and the heat stays very well.”

New Life for Abandoned Buildings

Ms. Dina and her husband from Kramatorsk settled in a house that had stood empty for over 30 years.

“No one lived here since 1990; we gradually did something, connected water and electricity. There is no gas, there is a stove that we repaired, and we heat with wood,” the woman said.

The couple of retirees would not have been able to fix the leaking roof on their own. Thanks to the benefactors, not only was the roof covered, but new doors were also installed.

The fund also repairs communal buildings. After the work is completed in such a building, three full apartments will be arranged for internally displaced persons.

Unfortunately, many families are in need of similar assistance. According to official data, there are over 470,000 IDPs registered in Dnipropetrovsk region, most of whom urgently need housing.

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Over the past year, large-scale destruction of housing has been ongoing in Ukraine due to the war, and many IDPs are looking for new homes. In such conditions, it is important to continue to support and help families who have lost their homes and provide them with necessary housing. The experience of the Sofiivka community shows how joint efforts can change people's lives for the better, even in the most difficult times.