International experience of post-war reconstruction of the housing fund and solving the housing problems of IDPs

Abstract

The article analyses the international experience of solving the housing problems of forcibly displaced persons during the post-war recovery of the economy and socio-humanitarian space. The author characterises the role of the state in developing strategies, determining priorities, consolidating efforts, and institutionally ensuring the process of restoring living space, rebuilding housing and social infrastructure, as well as ensuring control over the use of funds, residential premises, and structures, the use of technologies and standards of construction and reconstruction. National priorities have been determined in the organisation of measures to provide housing for victims of hostilities and forced migrants, prioritisation of reconstruction, and new construction tasks. The necessity of accumulation and optimal use of internal resources, as well as the expediency of attracting foreign investments and the use of external financial assistance for the reconstruction of living space, industrial and social infrastructure with observance of systematicity and compliance with the trends of structural, technological and social development, are argued. The paper clarifies the mechanisms of interaction between the government and private investors, stimulation of entrepreneurial activity, encouragement and support of citizens in their actions regarding the independent restoration of housing, and arrangement of adjacent territories. It was found that the excessive bureaucratisation of assessing the damage caused and drawing up an application for assistance significantly slowed down the process of restoring damaged housing, which caused additional budget costs for providing IDPs with temporary housing. Ignoring the historical and cultural differences of the inhabitants of different territories and the accumulation of socially vulnerable and marginal elements led to an increase in social tension at the local level, and people affected by the war formed a permanent dependence on state aid. The need to consider positive and negative foreign experiences in the state management of the post-war reconstruction of the country’s housing stock is substantiated.

Keywords

• internally displaced persons (idps)
• state management of post-war reconstruction
• right to housing
• housing programs
• financing of housing reconstruction