The plan to build affordable homes for 10,500 people displaced from Mariupol took a concrete step forward at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdansk, with the investment model and the master plan for the first quarter unveiled to international partners. The model covers six residential quarters across Ukraine, beginning with a pilot in Bila Tserkva. It reflects the commitment of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation and SCM companies to helping Ukrainians return home, with affordable, fully equipped homes set within a wider system of social support.
What was presented at the Ukraine Recovery Conference?
European financial institutions were shown an investment model for six residential quarters that will house 10,500 people displaced from Mariupol. The master plan for the first facility, to be built in Bila Tserkva, was presented under the government's "My Home. Ukraine" programme. The pilot will deliver 44 buildings and 1,187 apartments, implemented by the Mariupol City Military Administration together with the Kyiv Regional Military Administration, the Ministry of Development, the Bila Tserkva City Council and other partners, with the support of our steel company Metinvest.
Who is the housing for?
The homes are intended for families who lost everything during the war.
"We already have applications from 12,000 families left without homes," said Vadym Boychenko, head of the Mariupol City Military Administration. "The need for housing support is enormous, as displaced people cannot yet receive compensation for lost property while the relevant international mechanism is still being developed."
Across the programme, six prepared projects will create 3,612 apartments in Bila Tserkva, Vasylkiv, Boyarka, Lviv, Mykolaiv and Chernivtsi. Land plots and project documentation are ready. Total financing required is €182 million, half of which is guaranteed by the Government of Ukraine, with the remainder to be raised through grants and investment.
How affordable will the homes be?
Apartments will be fully renovated and furnished, and will remain in the ownership of the Mariupol community. Rent will not exceed 30% of a family's average monthly income, capped at UAH 4,000–6,000 ($89–133) per month depending on apartment size. Several categories of residents will be able to live free of charge through state programmes.
What makes this model different?
The "Mariupol Quarter" will be the first residential project in Ukraine to meet the principles of European social housing, drawing on experience from France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Spain and Poland. Its engineering basis is the Steel Dream reconstruction concept developed by our steel company Metinvest, built on modular, frame and platform steel technologies that make construction fast, economical and durable.
Why does rebuilding require more than housing?
"Affordable housing is a vital condition for Ukrainians to return, but it has to be part of a comprehensive solution," said Natalya Yemchenko, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at SCM and Chair of the Supervisory Board of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation. "People need work with clear terms and prospects for professional development. Access to quality education, healthcare and modern social infrastructure matters just as much, because it is the combination of all these factors that creates an environment in which people decide to come home."
During the 86-day blockade of Mariupol, russian forces destroyed around 90% of the city's infrastructure, and more than 200,000 residents who lost their homes left for territory controlled by Ukraine. Under the strategic direction of Rinat Akhmetov, the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation and SCM companies continue to support these families and Ukraine's wider recovery.
