According to a recent report, there has been a notable increase in homelessness as a result of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine; nearly 25 percent of those sleeping on the streets or in emergency shelters are fled from the war.
The precise number of homeless individuals in Ukraine is unknown, over 200 people who were living on the streets or in emergency shelters were polled by the nonprofit organization Depaul International.
During the Labour Party conference in Liverpool on September 22, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy issued a warning, stating that the challenges brought on by the war might get much worse over the next two years.
Sixty-nine percent of the homeless individuals surveyed were men, and almost half of them were in the 18–45 age range, 31 percent of those questioned had previously served time in prison, putting them at even greater risk.
Compared to male citizens between the ages of 18 and 60, who are prohibited from leaving Ukraine due to wartime conscription laws, women and children receive greater assistance in the form of public shelters, international aid programs, and refuge abroad.
Two Million Homes were Bombed in Ukraine
“Reconstruction and recovery in war-torn Ukraine is projected to cost $486 billion over the next decade, up from $411 billion estimated a year ago,” the UN reported in February.
The World Bank Group, the UN, the European Commission, and the Ukrainian government released the most recent version of the Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA3), which includes damage sustained from the beginning of the Russian invasion in 2022 until the end of December of last year.
Housing needs account for 17 percent of total estimated costs, and are highest in the areas of transportation, industry, commerce, energy, and agriculture.The percentages for social protection, livelihood assistance, and explosive hazard management are less than 10 percent, respectively. The cost of managing and clearing waste, as well as doing demolition when necessary, is close to $11 billion across all sectors.
According to the UN, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has directly damaged infrastructure to the tune of $152 billion. A significant portion of the damage—nearly 40%—was caused by housing. Almost 10 percent of all homes in Ukraine, or 2 million, have been bombed, uprooting millions of people. Roughly 20,000 people have had to evacuate Pokrovsk in the last month due to Russian forces’ ongoing advances in eastern Ukraine.
Ukrainians Across Europe
The assistance provided to the six million Ukrainians who are refugees abroad has decreased as the war enters its third year, and many of them are facing homelessness. According to the latest Annual Report of the United Nations in Ukraine, published in April 2024, these are the top 5 countries which hosts Ukrainian refugees:
1. Russia
2. Germany
3. Poland
4. Czech Republic
5. United Kingdom
As of December 31, 2023, there were about 1.3 million Ukrainian refugees in Russia. The UNHCR has voiced concerns about these refugees’ rights, legal status, and ability to access services in Russia.
Nearly two million refugees live in the eleven countries that border Ukraine in Central and Eastern Europe (Belarus, Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova,
Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, and Slovakia). Nearly a million people (950,505) are taken by the Poles, whereas the Czech Republic hosts a sizable population of Ukrainians (370,980 in a nation of about 10 million people).
Concerns regarding social benefits have caused a shift in public opinion in Poland, a this month the county demanded that EU benefits for men of fighting age be discontinued, claiming that doing so would incite Ukrainian draft evaders.
The government of Hungary recently stopped providing housing aid to thousands of refugees from Ukraine, declaring certain regions in the country’s west to be “safe” for their return. Reports from across Europe also indicate refugees face bureaucratic hurdles that prevent them from accessing protections and assistance guaranteed under EU laws.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has contributed to the increase in refugees in Germany. At a former airport in Berlin, immediately after the attacks in February, 2022, temporary refugee shelter was built. These sanctuaries at Tegel airport were capable to accommodate 3 600 Ukrainians. Many municipalities in Germany created makeshift accommodations, as refugee arrivals have spiked. In 2022, the German Association of Cities issued a warning, stating that the country’s cities and municipalities were at or beyond capacity to house refugees in decent conditions.
The German federal government responded by giving local councils additional funding to deal with the issue. In 2022 and 2023, up to 4.25 billion euros will be invested to support the care of migrants and refugees throughout the nation.
By the end of June 2024, there were 3.48 million refugees living in Germany under various residency permits, which is approximately 60,000 more than there were at the end of 2023. Of these refugees, one-third were from Ukraine.
“Tinder for Sex Traffickers”
The British Red Cross claims that thousands of Ukrainian refugees who fled to the UK in search of safety following Russia’s invasion are now at risk of becoming homeless and
being exploited there.
Over 9 000 families out of the approximately 200 000 families housed in the UK have been placed at risk of homelessness since the Homes for Ukraine program began in 2022. Homelessness was found to be four times more common among Ukrainians than in the general population.
The number of new arrivals from Ukraine increased by 379 per week on average between February and mid-June 2024.
This is frequently brought on by strained ties with host families and challenges entering the private housing market. Amidst cautions, the UK government-funded program that pairs sponsors with Ukrainian refugees has begun operations. The program also aims to support other organizations and local government in helping refugees with issues like employment, bereavement, education, health needs, and language barriers. “This is an extraordinary moment for the refugee welcome movement in the UK. With 200 000 people signed up to offer their homes under the Homes for Ukraine scheme,” said Kate Brown, the chief executive of Reset Communities and Refugees, in 2022.
The scheme’s introduction coincides with evidence that criminals in the UK have been preying on women and children who are escaping the conflict.
In a letter sent from 16 refugee and anti-trafficking organizations to the communities secretary, Michael Gove, said that the Homes for Ukraine scheme was potentially dangerous for refugees who had fled Ukraine. It stated, the initiative, which allows would-be hosts to be matched with Ukrainians seeking sanctuary in the UK, in effect mimicked the dating app Tinder’s signature “swipe left, swipe right” approach to rejecting or selecting a partner, and had insufficient safeguards.
Initial evidence from the letter’s signatories, which include Refugee Action, the Refugee Council and the Helen Bamber Foundation, said traffickers traffickers and slum landlords had already seemed to be attempting to targeting on Ukrainian women and children.
The Depaul study is urging a shift in how homeless and displaced populations are treated, emphasizing the need for collaboration between the government, charities and other organizations to find permanent housing solutions and assist with other issues, such as medical support. Because the psychological toll of this uncertainty is profound.
