Conditions of eOselia program unaffordable for IDPs – Head of Parliamentary Committee

The eOselya program for housing purchases has only been utilized by 291 internally displaced families. Among the main barriers are the age of the housing and the significant amount of the down payment required.

This was stated by Olena Shuliak, Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on the Organization of State Power, Regional Development, Local Self-Government, and Urban Planning, and head of the political party Servant of the People, in an interview with Ukrinform.

"We have long emphasized the relevant problems (the unaffordable conditions of the eOselya program for IDPs) to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Ministry of Economy, which is responsible for the program. Over two years, we have gathered statistics showing the low accessibility of the program for internally displaced persons — only 291 families in this status have benefited from it," Shuliak reported.

According to the Head of the Committee, while investigating the reasons, it was found that one of the barriers for IDPs was the Cabinet of Ministers' requirement that the housing taken out on mortgage must be no older than three years.

"However, IDPs live not only in large cities, where new housing can be found, but also in small towns and villages, where no new homes have been built for years. Finding a home that meets this requirement has become a huge challenge for them. To address this issue, we reached out to the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Economy," Shuliak said.

She also reminded that in September 2024, changes were made to the program, allowing IDPs to purchase housing no older than 10 years, which significantly expands opportunities for displaced persons needing housing solutions.

"We also held public consultations with internally displaced persons based on our committee. They pointed out another barrier for most IDPs — the down payment. We understand our people and the situation they are in; however, there is currently no budget to both reduce the size of the down payment and provide preferential rates. Unfortunately," Shuliak noted.

At the same time, the head of the Servant of the People party announced that representatives of internally displaced persons themselves proposed to lower the down payment for families with children or for displaced persons with disabilities.

"If such changes are made, more IDP families will be able to take advantage of the program and acquire their long-awaited new homes," Shuliak concluded.

As reported by Ukrinform, under the eOselia program, 13,520 mortgage loans have been issued, totaling UAH 21.759 billion.