22.08.2024 | People
Khmelnytskyi is a regional centre in Western Ukraine with a population of about 274,000. Along with serving as an important centre for industry and higher education, Khmelnytskyi has been a major IDP hub since 2014. The need to accommodate people displaced by Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 has further increased the strain on the city’s municipal infrastructure, posing a pressing need to create emergency housing.
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- Two dormitories for displaced Ukrainians in Khmelnytskyi underwent reconstruction and energy-efficiency modernisations under the ‘EU Support for Urgent Housing Needs for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Ukraine’ action, funded by the European Union and managed by Nefco.
- With a total budget of approximately EUR 1.49 million, the buildings comprise 53 dormitory rooms and 22 individual flats, suitable for accommodating about 200 people.
- Among the residents of the new housing are Leonid and Larysa, two senior citizens who lost their homes in the war-torn east of Ukraine due to the Russian invasion.
To assist the municipality in tackling IDP influx, two dormitories in Khmelnytskyi underwent reconstruction and energy-efficiency modernisations under the ‘EU Support for Urgent Housing Needs for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Ukraine’ action, funded by the European Union and managed by Nefco.
With a total budget of approximately EUR 1.49 million, the buildings underwent extensive renovation. The improvements included repairing engineering networks and systems, replacing windows and external doors, repairing the building envelope, façade and roof, installing small-scale PV stations to ensure internal lighting in corridors and charging accumulators in the event of blackouts, replacing internal lighting fixtures with energy-efficient substitutes, installing individual heating substations, completing interior finishings and landscaping. All rooms were fully furnished and equipped with necessary appliances and sanitary ware. Following the renovation, the structures comprise 53 dormitory rooms and 22 individual flats, suitable for accommodating about 200 people.
“Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Khmelnytskyi has taken in about 300,000 Ukrainians from various regions who have fled the war. Most of them have since either moved to other locations or, in fortunate cases, returned to their de-occupied homes, but thousands remain in our city. For most, their homes have been destroyed or occupied. The community cannot independently solve the housing issue for such a large number of people, so we have gratefully engaged the help of international organisations,” says Oleksandr Symchyshyn, Mayor of Khmelnytskyi. “Thanks to our cooperation with Nefco, we have renovated housing for 75 families. Another project to provide housing for IDPs – encompassing the construction of several high-rise buildings – is currently being implemented. This project was also awarded grant funding from the EU. We are sincerely grateful to our partners for their understanding and support.”
In April 2024, the two reconstructed dormitories opened their doors to new residents. Among them are Leonid and Larysa, two senior citizens who lost their homes in the war-torn east of Ukraine due to the Russian invasion.
The community cannot independently solve the housing issue for such a large number of people, so we have gratefully engaged the help of international organisations.
Oleksandr Symchyshyn, Mayor of Khmelnytskyi
Leonid
Leonid, who is 66 years old, is a native of the city of Krasnohorivka, Donetsk region. Now a pensioner, he worked as the director of the education centre before the full-scale war.
Leonid moved to Khmelnytskyi after his house in Krasnohorivka was destroyed, leaving him nowhere to live. Now he is happy to just have a roof over his head. “Repairs were made, and we were given a room, so everything is fine,” says Leonid. “There is a bed, there is a table, there is a ceiling – nothing to complain about. Only there is no home, as our home was destroyed.”
Larysa
Larysa, a 77-year-old former operator at a boiler house, also resides in the renovated IDP housing. She moved to Khmelnytskyi from Bakhmut in November 2022, prompted by her daughter and son-in-law, who left in August. “It was unbearable,” Larysa says of the situation in the city. “Constant shelling, not a minute of quiet, no electricity, no water, nothing. All the houses were falling apart. I managed to amass many belongings during my life, and now I’ve lost everything in my later years: no house, no hometown. Everything I owned fit into one wheelbarrow. Our city was so big and beautiful and had everything, and we miss it very much.”
Now that she has moved into a new home, Larysa is very happy with the conditions in the dormitory. “Everything is nice. There is hot water after six o’clock, and there is electricity. The flat has everything you need, and it is beautiful.”
After enduring so many challenges, Larysa remains optimistic about the future. “I think that the victory will come, everything will be fine and our city will be rebuilt. We will live here temporarily before returning home.”
“Each building modernised under the action is another step towards addressing the critical needs of displaced Ukrainians, offering safe and dignified housing and paving the way for a better tomorrow,” says Jocelin Cornet, Head of the Reconstruction, Energy, Infrastructure and Environment Section of the EU Delegation to Ukraine. “The reconstructed dormitories serve not only to shelter but also to uplift displaced Ukrainians, while helping the city and the country as a whole to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
“The successful implementation of new housing for IDPs in Khmelnytskyi stands as a testament to the hard work and dedication of all the parties involved. During these difficult times for Ukraine, at Nefco we were delighted to provide our support to the city and help those who have been internally displaced through the application of international best practices,” says Iryna Fedorenko, Investment Adviser at Nefco. “We believe that these two renovated buildings will ensure comfortable living conditions for people who find themselves in difficult life circumstances due to the war and create a basis for a better future for them. We are proud to have played a role in helping them rebuild their lives while at the same time contributing to the green transformation of Ukraine.”
The reconstruction of housing for IDPs in Khmelnytskyi was implemented under the ‘EU Support for Urgent Housing Needs for Internally Displaced Persons in Ukraine’ action, funded by the European Union and managed by Nefco. The initiative aims to provide accommodation for Ukrainian citizens forced to flee their homes due to Russia’s armed aggression in ten cities across Western and Central Ukraine, including Chernivtsi, Chortkiv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Khmelnytskyi, Kivertsi, Kovel, Lutsk, Rivne, Zolochiv and Zviahel.
For further information, please contact:
Ronny Nilsson, Senior Adviser, Nefco
ronny.nilsson@nefco.int, +358 10 618 06 42
Iryna Fedorenko, Investment Adviser, Nefco
irina.fedorenko@nefco.int, +380 96 270 9622
Anna Minakova, Technical Consultant, Nefco
a.minakova@nefco.org.ua, +380 50 331 5107
About the Neighbourhood Investment Platform (NIP)
The Neighbourhood Investment Platform (NIP) is a mechanism aimed at mobilising additional funding to finance capital-intensive infrastructure projects in EU partner countries covered by the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) in sectors such as transport, energy, environment and social development. The NIP also supports the private sector, mainly through investment grants and risk capital operations targeting small and medium-sized enterprises. The NIP strives to pool grant resources from the EU budget and EU Member States and use them to leverage loans from European Financial Institutions as well as contributions from the ENP partner countries themselves. In this way, the EU backs its neighbours’ priorities and supports them in carrying out key investments and boosting economic development.
Photo: Leonid with his wife – a 66 year old pensioner from Krasnohorivka, Donetsk region