With the onset of winter 2025–2026, social tensions surrounding homelessness in Ukraine are growing. After Russia’s full-scale invasion, hundreds of thousands of people lost their homes. According to experts, military action has caused a sharp increase in homelessness: in Kyiv alone, according to the Dom Miloserdia (House of Mercy) foundation, the number of people without a roof over their heads has reached more than 20,000, a significant portion of whom have appeared since the start of the war. The nature of homelessness has changed: long-term homeless people have been joined by displaced persons, large families and wounded veterans who have nowhere to live. About a quarter of the current homeless population are internally displaced persons.
Social challenges include chronic unemployment, dealing with bureaucracy without documents, and the effects of combat trauma. The elderly and disabled are particularly vulnerable: due to bureaucracy, they are often left without assistance. Volunteers also note an increase in violence – almost 70% of homeless people have been robbed or beaten on the streets. On the streets of cities, especially in the east and south (Kharkiv, Odesa region), volunteers and social workers are noticing an increasing number of homeless people, who often arrive from frontline areas (Kharkiv and Kherson regions). Many of them are at risk of hypothermia or freezing to death in winter.
On the cold streets of Kyiv, volunteers distribute hot food and warm clothing to the homeless, but there is not enough aid to cover all their needs. In particular, armed aggression has led to the redirection of significant resources to the front, while support for the homeless has decreased. Experts point out that since the war started, more people have been sleeping on the streets – in Odesa and Kharkiv, there are more homeless people than before. New arrivals need medical help, and long-term homeless people are in an even tougher spot because of the lack of resources and social care.
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Government policy and assistance
The state is trying to cover vulnerable groups with general “warm winter” programmes. The Cabinet of Ministers has approved a social support package: a one-time payment of 6,500 hryvnia for the poorest, the so-called “winter thousand”, subsidies for solid fuel for IDPs and residents of frontline territories. As of December 2025, more than 117,000 people had received these payments. However, this programme does not cover homeless people, who usually do not have official registration and documents. Representatives of the Ministry of Social Policy report that the programmes are earmarked for the purchase of clothing, footwear, medicines, etc., but in fact only cover those who have officially applied. The authorities are also working to expand services for vulnerable groups: for example, in the winter of 2025–2026, social patrols, a “care bus” and additional payments to residents of frontline areas will be introduced. However, public figures emphasise that the problem of homelessness cannot be solved by domestic programmes alone – a systematic strategy with housing allocation is needed. At round tables, philanthropists call on the government to give priority to the construction of affordable housing instead of new temporary shelters. According to Depaul Ukraine, the need for housing has increased significantly: according to their data, 3.5 million people have lost their homes. The most vulnerable remain at risk – they are the ones who “can fall through the cracks” of the social protection system.
The role of civil society organisations and volunteers
In the context of state programmes, socially vulnerable people rely primarily on non-governmental initiatives and volunteers. Charitable foundations and church communities have set up networks to distribute food, warm clothing and medical consultations. For example, the Depaul Ukraine charitable foundation supports homeless people in Kyiv, Odesa and Kharkiv: its volunteers deliver hot meals and hygiene products, and provide advice on restoring documents and finding employment. The House of Mercy network in Kyiv offers comprehensive support to those who have lost their homes, including assistance with paperwork and basic services. In Lviv, displaced volunteers who themselves have survived the war are saving the lives of homeless people: for example, Lyudmila, a cardiologist from Popasna, conducts regular medical examinations and brings fresh food and bread to the homeless. The International Community of Sant’Egidio and other humanitarian organisations work daily at food distribution points in winter, with volunteers warming people up with hot tea, clothing and humanitarian aid. In Lviv, social patrols of the city council have been operating throughout the city from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. since December 2025, providing a “hotline” that responds to complaints, delivering warm clothing and furniture, and offering to move people to shelters. Every Friday, a “care bus” runs, taking homeless people to the Dzherelo Centre, where they can wash, eat and receive help from social workers. Volunteer projects often complement government efforts where the state falls short — displaced persons collect and weave camouflage nets for the army, while also collecting clothing and food for the homeless, whom they help with medicine as best they can.
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Conditions in shelters
Infrastructure for homeless people remains very limited. According to information from the House of Mercy, there is only one state shelter in central Ukraine with 150 places, and it only accepts people in emergency situations. In Kyiv, there is a night shelter in Yasnogorodka (a building on O. Hirnyka Street) where homeless people can stay overnight by prior appointment, but this number is only sufficient for smaller targeted campaigns. In Lviv, there is only one city shelter (3a Kyrylivska Street), where homeless people can eat, wash, receive medical assistance and services to restore their documents. However, from the first days of winter 2026, beds in all such institutions are quickly filled, and night shelters are operating at full capacity. For example, in the first days of January, Lviv patrol officers found only a few homeless people (four individuals), but this was because people were trying to hide anywhere they could, even in basements. In most regions, there are no specialised shelters – homeless people are sent to centres for internally displaced persons or night shelters, which are mainly designed for veterans or lonely elderly people. However, all these places have problems: overcrowding, cramped conditions, lack of separate areas for women, lack of staff and infrastructure (hot showers, laundry facilities) – which adds new challenges for shelter residents. Volunteers and lawyers point out that homeless people are effectively denied the right to register in shelters and often remain “officially invisible” to state programmes.
Mortality among homeless people
There are no official statistics on the mortality rate of homeless people during the winter period – no state body keeps comprehensive records. Individual reports mention the deaths of people living on the streets due to hypothermia or injuries. Volunteers also record isolated deaths from frost, but there is no systematic picture. In general, experts warn that extreme sub-zero temperatures combined with insufficient assistance pose a serious danger to homeless people. Existing social protection measures fall far short of covering the risks, especially when half of the staff of foundations or volunteers are mobilised and new humanitarian aid is redirected to the front lines.
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