Springboard for adaptation: where in Ukraine local authorities are actively helping IDPs living in modular towns

Since the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war, modular towns have become a real lifeline for tens of thousands of people who sometimes did not even have time to take the most necessary things with them when leaving the occupied and frontline territories. Some of the internally displaced persons managed to find work and other housing while staying in these towns, others decided to return home, and there are those for whom this temporary housing has become permanent, UNN writes.

The first modular towns for internally displaced persons in Ukraine began to be built in 2015, after Russia launched a hybrid war in Donetsk and Luhansk regions in 2014. At that time, five settlements for IDPs were built in Dnipropetrovs'k region, and one each in Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia. The full-scale Russian invasion has further exacerbated the problem of shelter for people fleeing the horrors of war.

Today, there are more than 20 modular towns in different parts of Ukraine, home to about five thousand people.

The modular towns were supposed to be a temporary shelter for internally displaced people. But quite often, circumstances are such that people have to stay in them for a long time. And in this situation, the problem is that in some of these towns, living conditions have deteriorated since the moment of construction. This, coupled with difficulties in adapting to the new community, leads to the fact that some people are beginning to consider options for returning home, even to enemy-controlled territories. 

It is clear that caring for internally displaced persons, including those living in modular towns, is one of the key tasks of the central government. However, local governments should not remove themselves from these problems, as people come to their communities.

In particular, in Brovary, Kyiv region, a modular town for IDPs is constantly in the focus of attention of the city authorities. It was opened with the help of Polish partners at the end of November 2022. The German sister city of Brovary, Erlangen, provided funds for video surveillance and air conditioning systems, and assisted in the purchase of laptops, books, stationery, and toys for children's playrooms.

The mayor of Brovary, Ihor Sapozhko, in a comment to UNN, emphasized that the city authorities are doing everything in their power to ensure that IDPs, including those in the modular town, do not experience any difficulties.

"Life circumstances can be different, and there are people for whom our modular town has become a second home. We do our best to ensure that they do not experience any domestic problems and that their stay in the town is as comfortable as possible. We do our best to ensure that people have jobs, children attend our educational institutions, and the elderly do not feel lonely. We want all residents of the modular town to have access to all administrative and social services," said the mayor of Brovary.

Currently, 165 people live in the modular town in Brovary.

"These are internally displaced persons from Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv and Kherson regions. Over the past month, we have been receiving people from Sumy region, from the areas where mandatory evacuation is taking place.

The town is home to 30 children and about 80 elderly people.

When a person moves in with us, and if he or she does not have documents, we help them to get them. Then the person obtains IDP status, undergoes a medical examination, and can move in. If necessary, we engage specialists to provide psychological assistance to our clients. Various organizations come to us and bring food, clothes and other humanitarian aid. We take elderly people for various medical procedures, including massages. As for the children, we take them to paint, to the swimming pool, and organize various workshops.

The people in our modular town are friendly, welcoming, and always help each other," Alina Boyar, head of the section for the maintenance of temporary IDP structures of the Brovary-Blagoustriy utility company (head of the modular town), told in a commentary to UNN.

The woman added that children from the modular town attend a kindergarten and a lyceum, and all of its working-age residents have jobs.

According to Alina Boyar, this became possible because the city authorities are constantly interested in the problems of IDPs, especially those living in the modular town.

"If I see that the residents of the town have any questions or need help from the authorities, I contact the deputy mayor in charge of IDPs or the mayor himself, and these issues are immediately resolved. The authorities in Brovary have never been aloof from the problems of IDPs.

From time to time, the mayor comes to us with on-site receptions, or if we contact him and need something, he finds opportunities and provides us with it," added Alina Boyar.