Rokada helps internally displaced families cover the cost of renting housing
In five regions – Volyn, Ivano-Frankivsk, Rivne, Ternopil and Khmelnytskyi – the Foundation’s teams are implementing a project that helps internally displaced families cover the cost of renting housing and utilities for six months.
Svitlana Biliavska,
Coordinator of Rokada’s regional office in Rivne:
The mission of this programme is, above all, to help internally displaced families become self-reliant and integrate into new communities. Put simply, during the support period a family can focus on finding a job and on other important things for settling their lives. So those who apply for the programme should understand that there are a number of set programme criteria. One of them is that the family must have a financial sustainability plan to pay the rent after the support period ends. If help from our specialists or partners is needed with this, we are always ready.
In Rivne region, nine families have so far been selected and will receive financial assistance for rent. Each family looks for options on its own – a flat or a house. Costs are reimbursed in line with current market conditions.
Svitlana Biliavska,
Coordinator of Rokada’s regional office in Rivne:
We offer families the chance to choose for themselves where they will feel comfortable living: Rivne, Dubno, Sarny or a rural area…
42-year-old Kateryna Kapustenko is a programme participant. She now lives in Dubno. Back in March 2022, a Russian missile hit her building. In an instant, she found herself on the street.
Kateryna Kapustenko,
internally displaced person:
I’m from Kharkiv. By comparison, Dubno is a small town that has its advantages – it is calm here and there is no constant shelling. As for the downsides, I miss the rhythm of a big city: parks, the metro, trams, shopping centres.
Kateryna Kapustenko was invited to Rivne region by a private school. She, a music teacher, was offered the job last August. Before that, she worked on various projects – from Odesa to Warsaw.
At the end of 2024, Kateryna adopted two children. So safety became the number one issue.
Kateryna Kapustenko,
internally displaced person:
What is critically important for me is that the children now have the chance to live without constant stress. We are now renting a two-room flat. The main rental costs are covered by the programme. We certainly wouldn’t have had anywhere to find an extra 10,000 hryvnias.
For more information in the project’s participating regions, you can call the hotlines:
The project is implemented with the support of UNHCR Ukraine – the UN Refugee Agency in Ukraine.
