The Railko family

Ukraine war

Habitat for Humanity’s response

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has forever changed the lives of millions of people, both inside and outside of the country. With over 8 million refugees seeking shelter in neighboring countries and beyond, and more than 5 million people estimated to be internally displaced in Ukraine, the work that lies ahead of organizations such as Habitat for Humanity is immense. Habitat was on the ground in Poland, Romania, Hungary, Germany and Slovakia since day one, accompanying refugees on the move and in their search for mid- and long-term accommodation, by supporting housing arrangements with host families, refurbishing and furnishing communal spaces, repurposing empty spaces, subsidizing rentals and running social rental programs.

As the situation in Ukraine continues to deteriorate, most of the population must shelter from harsh winter temperatures in damaged buildings, with limited or no access to gas, electricity and water. Through partnerships on the ground in Ukraine, Habitat supports direct repairs and winterization upgrades for particularly vulnerable families as well as repairs of small-scale community-level infrastructures. We are also supporting the energy-efficient modernization of multi-apartment buildings.

Read the stories and listen to the testimonies of families who found shelter in neighboring countries

Finding a new home in seek of safety

Iryna, a new mother, found herself saying things she never expected. On an ordinary day in February, her life and her family’s life took a sudden turn. This one event forced her to make a decision that would change everything forever.

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“Your house is your home.”

At the sound of sirens, three-year-old Marta ran to her mom and grandma’s side, begging them to help her get dressed and put her shoes on so she could run to the bomb shelter. But there was no need. The family was safe in Warsaw, Poland.

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Share the good things

Arpad provides solidarity accommodation for people who fled the war in Ukraine through a joint program by Habitat for Humanity Hungary, From Streets to Homes Association and The City is for All. When the war began in late February 2022, Arpad felt the urge to help and made a conscious decision when considering his options.

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As long as life goes on – hope remains

Kateryna lived with her family in southern Ukraine near the city of Kherson. They had a very happy life: a large house, her husband owned a furniture company, and she worked in a large chain of stores as an IT manager. The family always spent their free time together. Kateryna liked to do something for her children: she kept inventing new games, different decorations.

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Daddy, what is war?

“My son often asks: daddy, what is war? But how do you explain to a child what war is and why it started? Neither do I understand why this had to happen. What I do know, is that I didn’t want my family to experience any more of it. So we left.”

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Habitat for Humanity is in partnership with CRS supporting light and medium repairs and winterization upgrades in Ukraine. Milova is a community in the recently liberated and former frontline in Kharkiv Oblast of eastern Ukraine. Thousands of houses, apartment blocks and schools in the area have been damaged by shelling, tank fire and airstrikes. 

LOCATION: UKRAINE

Habitat for Humanity in partnership with CRS is supporting small scale community infrastructure repairs.  This village school in Korbochkyne, a community in the recently liberated and former frontline in Kharkiv Oblast of eastern Ukraine, was struck directly by several rockets. 

LOCATION: UKRAINE

The Bondarenko family from Adzhamka, Kirovohrad Oblast, Ukraine, in their apartment secured through Habitat Poland’s Social Rental Program, sharing a moment with the apartment owner.

GLIWICE, POLAND (08/25/2022)

Habitat for Humanity’s employees load furniture into a truck at the ReStore warehouse in Warsaw, Poland. 

WARSAW, POLAND (08/22/2022)

Habitat for Humanity’s reuse store - ReStore, became a hub for furniture and material distribution.

WARSAW, POLAND (08/22/2022)

Distribution of appliances (washing machines, dryers, etc.) to support our Ukraine response across Slovakia.

Location: SLOVAKIA 

Global Expo, a collective center in Warsaw home to around 5,000 refugees from Ukraine. Volunteers helped with painting and numbering the partition walls that Habitat for Humanity provided and installed through its ReStore in Warsaw to provide refugees with much-needed privacy.

WARSAW, POLAND (12/15/2022)

Kira (5) from Mariupol, Ukraine, in her apartment in Warsaw, secured through Habitat Poland’s Social Rental Program.

WARSAW, POLAND (08/23/2022)

Lilja, her younger sister Nastia and her mother Olga with their cats outside their temporary apartment in Budapest.

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY

A formerly abandoned office building in Bucharest transformed by Habitat for Humanity Romania to create accommodations and social space for refugees.

BUCHAREST, ROMANIA (November 2022)

A formerly abandoned office building in Bucharest transformed by Habitat for Humanity Romania to create accommodations and social space for refugees.

BUCHAREST, ROMANIA (November 2022)

Valentina from Khmelnitskiy city in western Ukraine, holding her favorite tea towel in a temporary apartment in Budapest.

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY

Employee of Habitat Poland’s housing information line, launched to support refugees from Ukraine.

WARSAW, POLAND (08/22/2022)

ReStore employees furnishing the apartment for the arrival of the Railko family.

WARSAW, POLAND (08/22/2022)

The Railko family seeing their Habitat-subsidized apartment for the first time.

WARSAW, POLAND (08/26/2022) 

An office building in Warsaw, Poland, transformed into temporary housing for Ukrainian refugees. 

WARSAW, POLAND (08/24/2022)

Yana (32), her mother Liliia (55), and her daughter Marta (3) from Cherkasy, Ukraine, found safety and stability in Warsaw, through Habitat Poland’s Social Rental Program. 

WARSAW, POLAND (08/23/2022)

The Kirienko family in front of their house, secured thanks to Habitat for Humanity Germany.

Location: GERMANY

In the early days of the invasion, Habitat for Humanity was present at the most transited border points in Romania to provide on-the-spot information and short-term accommodation. 

Location: ROMANIA

While our programs may differ according to individual needs and the context in which we address them, our vision remains firm: to help families build their resilience through affordable, dignified housing.

 

Location: ROMANIA

Habitat for Humanity’s response to the crisis meets affected families where they are.

Location: ROMANIA

Habitat for Humanity was present at the most transited border points in Romania to provide on-the-spot information and short-term accommodation. 

Location: ROMANIA

Habitat for Humanity was at the border, providing heaters tents and emergency kits.

Location: ROMANIA

Habitat for Humanity is in partnership with CRS supporting light and medium repairs and winterization upgrades in Ukraine. Milova is a community in the recently liberated and former frontline in Kharkiv Oblast of eastern Ukraine. Thousands of houses, apartment blocks and schools in the area have been damaged by shelling, tank fire and airstrikes. 

LOCATION: UKRAINE

Habitat for Humanity in partnership with CRS is supporting small scale community infrastructure repairs.  This village school in Korbochkyne, a community in the recently liberated and former frontline in Kharkiv Oblast of eastern Ukraine, was struck directly by several rockets. 

LOCATION: UKRAINE

The Bondarenko family from Adzhamka, Kirovohrad Oblast, Ukraine, in their apartment secured through Habitat Poland’s Social Rental Program, sharing a moment with the apartment owner.

GLIWICE, POLAND (08/25/2022)

Habitat for Humanity’s employees load furniture into a truck at the ReStore warehouse in Warsaw, Poland. 

WARSAW, POLAND (08/22/2022)

Habitat for Humanity’s reuse store - ReStore, became a hub for furniture and material distribution.

WARSAW, POLAND (08/22/2022)

Distribution of appliances (washing machines, dryers, etc.) to support our Ukraine response across Slovakia.

Location: SLOVAKIA 

Global Expo, a collective center in Warsaw home to around 5,000 refugees from Ukraine. Volunteers helped with painting and numbering the partition walls that Habitat for Humanity provided and installed through its ReStore in Warsaw to provide refugees with much-needed privacy.

WARSAW, POLAND (12/15/2022)

Kira (5) from Mariupol, Ukraine, in her apartment in Warsaw, secured through Habitat Poland’s Social Rental Program.

WARSAW, POLAND (08/23/2022)

Lilja, her younger sister Nastia and her mother Olga with their cats outside their temporary apartment in Budapest.

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY

A formerly abandoned office building in Bucharest transformed by Habitat for Humanity Romania to create accommodations and social space for refugees.

BUCHAREST, ROMANIA (November 2022)

A formerly abandoned office building in Bucharest transformed by Habitat for Humanity Romania to create accommodations and social space for refugees.

BUCHAREST, ROMANIA (November 2022)

Valentina from Khmelnitskiy city in western Ukraine, holding her favorite tea towel in a temporary apartment in Budapest.

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY

Employee of Habitat Poland’s housing information line, launched to support refugees from Ukraine.

WARSAW, POLAND (08/22/2022)

ReStore employees furnishing the apartment for the arrival of the Railko family.

WARSAW, POLAND (08/22/2022)

The Railko family seeing their Habitat-subsidized apartment for the first time.

WARSAW, POLAND (08/26/2022) 

An office building in Warsaw, Poland, transformed into temporary housing for Ukrainian refugees. 

WARSAW, POLAND (08/24/2022)

Yana (32), her mother Liliia (55), and her daughter Marta (3) from Cherkasy, Ukraine, found safety and stability in Warsaw, through Habitat Poland’s Social Rental Program. 

WARSAW, POLAND (08/23/2022)

The Kirienko family in front of their house, secured thanks to Habitat for Humanity Germany.

Location: GERMANY

In the early days of the invasion, Habitat for Humanity was present at the most transited border points in Romania to provide on-the-spot information and short-term accommodation. 

Location: ROMANIA

While our programs may differ according to individual needs and the context in which we address them, our vision remains firm: to help families build their resilience through affordable, dignified housing.

 

Location: ROMANIA

Habitat for Humanity’s response to the crisis meets affected families where they are.

Location: ROMANIA

Habitat for Humanity was present at the most transited border points in Romania to provide on-the-spot information and short-term accommodation. 

Location: ROMANIA

Habitat for Humanity was at the border, providing heaters tents and emergency kits.

Location: ROMANIA

Latest news

Ukraine Rapid Gender Analysis: Gender in Emergencies Group

Pre-existing gender and identity inequalities are being compounded by the Ukraine war – affecting the risks and impacts of the war, the patterns of displacement, and access to humanitarian aid. Vulnerabilities due to longstanding gender inequality intersect with several other aspects of identity diversity within Ukraine, that have traditionally resulted in discrimination and inequities. Read more about the challenges in the Ukraine Rapid Gender Analysis.

Learn more

Housing of Ukrainian Refugees in Europe Options for Long-Term Solutions

After a short post-COVID-19 recovery year, on February 24th 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, devastating cities, destroying critical infrastructure, and forcing millions of people to leave their homes. According to data provided by host governments to UNHCR, between February 24th and December 6th, 2022, more than 7.8 million individuals fleeing Ukraine were registered across Europe.

Learn more

Habitat for Humanity issues statements on the Ukraine war

February 24, 2022

“We at Habitat for Humanity continue to pray for the people of Ukraine as we watch the disturbing images of deadly attacks on the country. We are deeply concerned that the violence will claim more lives and force more families from their homes.” Jonathan T. M. Reckford, President and CEO of Habitat for Humanity International

Read more

Support disaster response efforts for Ukraine and in communities around the world.