Resumption of accommodation payments for internally displaced persons

In July 2024, Daryna, a mother raising a young child alone, turned to a lawyer with a question about protecting herself and her child from illegal actions of the social security authority.

Daryna and her child, having the status of internally displaced persons, evacuated from Sumy region to Kharkiv. The child has a birth certificate issued in Iraq, translated into Ukrainian and apostilled.

The social security authority assigned living allowances, which Daria received for herself and her child, covering her basic needs. However, in June 2024, Daryna received a phone call from a specialist who informed her that the payments were being terminated because they had been assigned by mistake. She was also offered a refund of the money she had received earlier.

The reason for the suspension of payments was that the child's birth certificate did not meet Ukrainian standards. The lawyer helped Daryna prepare an official request to the social security agency to provide a written explanation of the grounds for the suspension of payments. The response was that payments would be resumed in August 2024.

On August 16, 2024, Daryna reported that she had received state housing assistance for both herself and her young son. At this point, the Social Protection Department does not require a refund of previously paid funds.

The charitable organization “Caritas Kharkiv” provides free legal aid to victims of war in cooperation with the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) thanks to the generous support of the American people through the Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).