A new model of long-term housing for internally displaced persons has appeared in Ukraine — “Miracle Town.” The initiative was launched by American businessman and philanthropist Dell Loy Hansen after the start of the full-scale invasion. The goal is to create a space where people who have lost their homes can not only find shelter, but also decent living conditions, support, and community.
About 5,000 people already live in more than 500 modular houses in Wonder Town. Among them are displaced persons from Donetsk, Luhansk, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions. Many of them have lost their families or are left without support. Here, they receive assistance in the form of “money follows the person,” where each person independently chooses a social service provider and pays for their services from a special account.
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The model combines residential comfort with the opportunity to remain active. The town has apartments designed with accessibility and safety in mind, private gardens, and social infrastructure—greenhouses, a library, a workshop, a beauty salon, a gym, and a cinema. For people with limited mobility, there is shared transportation—electric scooters, tricycles, and adapted vehicles. There is also a supported living facility with round-the-clock medical and social care.
The “Wonder Town” does not just provide housing—it creates a community where people regain faith in themselves and in life. One example is the story of Lyudmila from Bakhmut. She lost two grandchildren and contact with her daughter, but when she came to the “Miracle Town,” she found not only shelter but also an old friend. Together, they drink tea, talk, and learn to live without fear.
This project demonstrates a new approach to social policy, where the state and its partners help people not only to survive but also to restore their dignity and social ties. In the Miracle Town, displaced persons are given a chance for the stability and peace that the war has deprived them of.
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