“Sustainable Shelter for the Vulnerable”: East SOS shares its position at the International Forum on the Housing Crisis
On July 30, 2025, Kyiv hosted the International Forum “Shelter for the Affected Population: Partnership for Sustainable Solutions.” The event brought together government officials, local authorities, international partners, and civil society to discuss practical ways to overcome the housing crisis.
Key topics included:
• Developing housing programs in partnership with international organizations;
• The role of humanitarian initiatives in transforming lives;
• Community-led housing creation and restoration;
• Coordinating housing policy and defining leadership roles.
Yevhen Holovanevskyi, Reconstruction Coordinator at East SOS, took part in a panel discussion on the role of national NGOs in providing housing for the war-affected population. He highlighted one of the most urgent challenges — accommodating evacuees with limited mobility, who cannot adapt to new communities without dedicated support:
“Every year, our team rescues about 5,000 individuals who require inpatient care. These are people remaining on the frontline who will not survive without evacuation and specialized housing. In almost three years, we have restored nine residential facilities where communities could host people and finance their stay. Another two centers are under renovation. In total, we have created about 1,000 resettlement places, but the needs are much greater.”
Yevhen also stressed the need for a state subvention for inpatient care. Such funding, he noted, would not only save lives but also create jobs and develop local infrastructure:
“The cost of solving this issue is approximately €16.8 million annually. Compared to other government programs and the amounts announced today, this is a realistic figure. In 2025, a little over UAH 8 million out of the UAH 367 million in the state budget was allocated for such needs. Without state support, the system simply does not work. Communities are on the verge of economic survival, and as a charitable organization, we can only meet part of the demand. This is about a civilizational choice — whether we, as a society, are ready to care for those who cannot survive on their own.”
Since the start of the full-scale invasion, the East SOS Charity Foundation has been the voice of thousands of Ukrainians who deserve a dignified life, regardless of health challenges — challenges already deepened by russia’s war, which robs people of the most valuable things. The Foundation believes that the ideas and approaches developed at the forum will serve as a foundation for concrete action to address Ukraine’s housing crisis.
Every day, East SOS evacuation teams rescue families with children, older adults, people with disabilities, and even pets from the frontline. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, we have assisted more than 89,000 people, including over 13,000 with limited mobility.
Creating living spaces is critical — it allows us to evacuate and accommodate those in need of care without delay. Since January 2025, we have been running the “Life’s Queue” information campaign. As of August 12, 143 people were still waiting to escape danger due to a shortage of transit places.
It is our shared human duty to ensure housing for those who have suffered the most.
Recently, the East SOS Charity Foundation also organized a two-day course on First Aid in Emergencies and War in Kharkiv and Dnipro as part of the TERA consortium.
