Odesa offers targeted assistance to restore homes affected by Russian attacks

Odesa launched a city-targeted aid program where residents whose homes were affected by Russian aggression receive assistance, Rubryka reports.

What's the problem?

The southern city of Odesa often suffers from Russian air strikes and drone attacks. Just in January 2024, at least three documented hits were on the city's civilian residential infrastructure. For example, after a drone attack on January 24, local authorities recorded damage to 237 windows in 168 apartments across 16 buildings as of the evening of January 25.

What's the solution?

After on-site work by emergency services and law enforcement, municipal workers help close window openings in damaged apartments. Residents can also receive compensation from the city budget; district administrations handle such requests.

How does it work?

For example, in the Peresypskyi city district, residents are consulted on-site. In Odesa, administratively divided into four districts, there's a City Targeted Program for social services and other assistance to vulnerable residents for 2024-2026. The mayor also issued a directive under which affected residents receive targeted assistance to replace metal entrance doors, replace damaged glass or insulating glass units (without replacing the window frame), and replace window units, window sills, and drip caps.

This assistance is calculated according to the measurement and indicators of the average cost of one unit of volume determined by the Cabinet of Ministers.

In the Peresypskyi district, as of January 1 this year, the local administration considered 444 applications and decided to assist 415 residents for ₴11,303.7. The District Coordination Council makes such decisions to provide targeted assistance to vulnerable residents and people who have found themselves in difficult life circumstances.

Specialists from the Peresypskyi district council promptly go to the addresses of destruction, where they register damaged property and provide consultations to affected residents on how to receive assistance from the district administration at the expense of budget funds or from the Department of Urban Improvement of the Odesa City Council through the "eRestoration" service, or assistance from charity organizations with building materials, cash, and more. The acting head of the Peresypskyi district administration, Artur Levenkov, reported this to Rubryka in a comment.

Leaders and their deputies in other districts of Odesa told Rubryka that in the Kyivskyi district, from the beginning of the war until the beginning of 2024, material assistance was provided to 76 citizens whose housing was affected by Russian aggression. For this purpose, ₴2,146,000 were allocated from the city budget. In the Khadzhibeiskyi district during this period, 980 windows in municipal and private houses were damaged. All windows were restored at the expense of the city budget. In the Prymorskyi district, as of January 16 this year, about 470 appeals from citizens whose housing was damaged due to Russian aggression were considered.

Healthcare facilities of municipal property in Odesa, from the beginning of the war until mid-January 2024, had 34 windows damaged, half of which were restored at the expense of these institutions, and another 18% were restored at the expense of the city budget.

In educational institutions of Odesa, as of the beginning of 2024, 898 windows were damaged. 76% of them have been restored at the expense of the city budget. The director of the Department of Education and Science of the Odesa City Council, Olena Buinevych, also reported that "almost immediately after the windows were damaged in educational institutions of municipal property in Odesa until they were replaced, the international organization 'Red Cross' provided protective coverings to close the broken windows from wind and bad weather."

The authorized body responsible for organizing emergency work to eliminate the consequences of strikes and damage to buildings and structures in Odesa is the Department of Urban Improvement.

You can also find out how windows are being restored in damaged buildings in the capital. Rubryka reached out to the district administrations of Kyiv and gathered the most comprehensive information on the restoration of windows in the capital and those helping in this endeavor.

In related news, experts from the Analytical Center "Institute of Analytics and Advocacy" presented the results of their analytical review.  They believe that the most anticipated document of last year was the recommendations on prioritizing projects to eliminate consequences caused by the Russian armed aggression.