UNHCR supports repairs of common spaces in multi-story buildings, enabling more than 7,500 families to access state compensation

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, complements the Government of Ukraine’s compensation programme by helping to restore common areas in war-damaged apartment buildings. This will make families eligible for compensation and allow them to begin rebuilding homes and lives.

Since 2023, UNHCR has carried out or supported repairs in more than 100 multi-story residential buildings – this has enabled over 7,500 households to become eligible to apply for compensation under the Government’s eVidnovlennia programme.

Under national regulations, apartment owners can only apply for compensation once the common areas – such as roofs, staircases, entrances, or windows – have been restored and declared safe. In many war-damaged buildings, the cost of repairing these shared spaces is too high for residents to manage on their own, leaving entire buildings excluded from the compensation mechanism.

By repairing these common spaces, UNHCR addresses one of the most practical and immediate barriers to compensation. The repairs are implemented through a combination of contractor-led works and the provision of construction materials to local authorities, complementing the community-led efforts.

In 2025 alone, UNHCR helped with repairs across Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro and Mykolaiv regions, making over 1,700 families – in total 3,250 people – eligible to apply for compensation.

This work is part of UNHCR’s broader approach to ensure that displaced and war-affected people in Ukraine gain access to the Government’s vital compensation scheme which also entails provision of free legal aid.

Together with local NGO partners, UNHCR provides legal counseling to help people restore their