How to provide Ukrainian military with housing?
Photo: galinfo.com.ua
I would like to once again raise an extremely urgent social issue today – providing servicemen with free housing.
I have already made a publication on this issue and received many responses from military acquaintances and my subscribers that this topic is not only relevant today, but it is also the most painful for every serviceman.
After all, for every soldier, as the head of the family, ensuring the material well-being and security of his family is the main goal. It is said that a man should plant a tree, raise a son and build a house in his lifetime. This proverb is as old as time. Many times we heard it from our parents, grandparents, great-grandparents…
If planting a tree and raising a son is a feasible task, then the last postulate of the proverb for the Ukrainian military is not so simple, but rather unreawaiting listic under Ukrainian law and the current funding of the army.
The issue of providing housing for servicemen and members of their families, including discharged, is regulated by current legislation and in particular the order of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine dated 31.07.2018 № 380 “On approval of the Instruction on providing housing for servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and their families”.
Soldiers have the right to receive military-provided or permanent housing. Permanent housing and one-time financial compensation can be obtained only in waiting list in the station in the presence of 20 years of military service. According to the current legislation, only those servicemen who are discharged due to health, reduction of staff and age are entitled to remain in the apartment waiting list.
Determining the amount and providing financial compensation for housing is carried out in accordance with the Regulation of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine of September 2, 2015 №728 “Some issues of housing for servicemen and other citizens.” Such compensation depends on the number of family members on the housing register, the minimal cost of housing, additional living space, and so on.
At the same time, the amount of financial compensation is deducted from the living space received from the state or directly from the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine by any member of the military family and the living space received during the free privatization of housing.
According to the Ministry of Defense, as of February 2020, about 48,000 servicemen were in line for housing. The rate of housing for servicemen is about 1.0 thousand apartments per year.
The biggest waiting list is in Kyiv. 10,364 servicemen are waiting for housing in the capital city. The leaders are also Lviv – 4500, Kharkiv – 2500, Odessa – 3600, Vinnytsia – 2900.
According to the State Budget of Ukraine for 2021, the army directly through the Ministry of Defence will receive only UAH 11.216 267 billion, which is UAH 381.999 million less than last year. For the construction (purchase) of housing for servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine only UAH 1.194000 billion (amount at the level of expenditures of the previous year) are allocated, which is – just imagine – 1% of the whole budget.
In my opinion, the funds allocated from the state budget for the construction and purchase of housing for servicemen in a belligerent country, which today is Ukraine, ARE VERY LITTLE.
I believe that in order to provide housing for all servicemen, the defence budget should provide for at least 25% of the total amount for these purposes.
I have already mentioned simple arithmetic calculations according to which a graduate of a military institution, a young officer with the military rank of “lieutenant” WILL RECEIVE SUCH A LONG-WAITED HOUSING IN 49 YEARS AT THE AGE OF 70.
It is outrageous! Please tell me, with what enthusiasm and love for the country will the military serve in such a prospect to have its own home?
In my personal life, when I took part in Joint Forces Operation in Eastern Ukraine, there was a situation when a soldier approached me and said that he could not go to battle tomorrow because his family was being evicted from the apartment they were hired, and he must go home immediately and resolve the matter.
It is just a shame and a disgrace how our homeland treats its defenders, who risk their lives every day, protecting it from Russian aggression!
Of course, I solved this specific housing issue by raising the local military organs, and the family was provided with official housing.
But such issues should not be addressed like that, in Ukraine there should be a transparent and effective system of housing, especially for the families of combatants. One of the ways to improve the provision of social protection for servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine may be to provide a loan for housing or housing itself on preferential terms. This should be stipulated in a long-term contract for service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine or another military formation that will directly stimulate to take part in military service.
The legal regulation of the issues of providing social guarantees for Ukrainian servicemen and members of their families should be closer to international standards, in particular to NATO member states. This is what the national specifics of the social security system should be aimed at. Thus, the normative regulation of financial support of servicemen does not meet NATO standards and is not enshrined in law, but is regulated only by a Regulation of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
In most countries of the world, the issue of socio-economic and legal protection of servicemen is given great attention. Analysis of foreign experience in providing social guarantees for servicemen in comparison with social security for servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine leads to disappointing conclusions. Most of the Ukrainian rules and regulations, which reveal the essence of providing social guarantees for servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, do not take into account the current standard of living and resources that servicemen spend to defend their country, namely: moral, spiritual, mental, psychological and physical.
Each country has its own peculiarities of providing social protection for servicemen. However, in most countries of the world, the state cares about both the quality of social protection of servicemen and the real possibility of receiving these benefits. To ensure social guarantees, most countries in the world implement a range of government measures aimed at ensuring a decent standard of living and well-being of both servicemen and their families.
An analysis of foreign experience in providing social guarantees for servicemen shows that the most developed system of monetary provision for servicemen has been created in the United States and NATO countries. It is completely open to the public and information on social protection occupies an extremely important place in the advertising of military service.
Guaranteed social benefits for servicemen in the United States, Germany, France and many other countries have generally the same structure: basic salaries, additional payments and wage premiums, food and permanent housing wage premium (including temporary, special, incentive and compensation payments), lump sums on the discharge from military service.
Thus, in the US military, one of the main problems in solving socio-economic issues is, first of all, the shortage of modern housing. The size of living quarters (apartments) is determined in accordance with the norms for the civilian population. Thus, a family of three is entitled to a three-room apartment. In the case of renting private apartments or houses, their purchase involves the payment of social housing wage premium. The amount of wage premium depends on the military rank and salary. A house or apartment with three bedrooms is provided for the colonel.
In the Turkish Armed Forces, most officers live in houses of preferential housing fund of the Ministry of National Defense. Housing is being built throughout Turkey under a single program under the direct supervision of the General Staff. The standard area of apartments in service buildings is 85-150 m2, the rent for living in them is 8-10 times lower than usual.
Ukraine has also declared an extensive system of providing social guarantees for servicemen. However, the presence of a significant number of regulations does not help to implement social protection of servicemen. Unfortunately, most of the rules prescribed by law are outdated and purely declarative. Thus, the state, in accordance with the law, guarantees servicemen sufficient material, financial and other types of support in the amount that meets the conditions of military service and stimulates the retention of qualified military personnel. In fact, for example, housing or housing loans may be obtained only after 20 years of service.
The Ministry of Defense declares that in the near future a serviceman will have the right to deposit and monetary support, regardless of whether he inherited some housing or not. It is planned that in 5 years the Ministry will refuse from the waiting list at all. The serviceman will have a single electronic military identity card. And that will be enough for him. You will not need to go to offices, collect documents, submit them somewhere. Planned reform of housing and maintenance administrations.
NGO “ Association of Ukrainian Defense Manufacturers ” has its own strategy for housing construction for servicemen and, what is most important, capabilities. The Association includes a number of construction companies that have experience in this field and appropriate construction capacity.
We have prepared an appeal and I have already held a number of meetings with the leadership of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine with a request to involve experts of the Association in solving such an extremely acute social issue today – housing construction for servicemen. I personally and other members of the Board of the Association will make every effort to resolve this issue in practice.
It is known that private structures are more flexible in their activities, free of bureaucratic obstacles and more focused on the end result. I am convinced that the public-private partnership in this area and the increase in public funding is the key to success and providing all Ukrainian servicemen in need with their own housing in the next five years.
I believe that in the near future it is necessary to adopt the Program of providing servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with official housing for the period of military service and their own housing on preferential terms as part of a long-term contract for service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine or other military formation.
The program should include:
the right to choose housing in any settlement of Ukraine, regardless of the place of service;
accumulative nature and allow at any time to take advantage of the accumulated benefit;
accumulation of benefits and its use regardless of the availability of other housing;
accumulation of benefits in m2, which will protect the accumulation from inflation;
the right to receive official housing for the period of service or compensation regardless of the right to receive one’s own housing on preferential terms.
Our ambitious goal is to “PROVIDE ALL MILITARY WITH HOUSINGS IN FIVE YEARS!”
Today, the army has a lot of surplus funds, a lot of liberated towns, there are areas near large cities that stand empty, and the Ministry of Defense spends money on their protection. It is necessary to approach this question economically.
We offer an effective way out – it’s investment building. It is necessary to develop and apply mechanisms to provide housing for servicemen for non-budgetary funds, using surplus funds. And this is our promising direction today. Over the next 5 years, we want to fully address the issue of housing. To close the apartment waiting list and the issue of staff housing, it is necessary to build approximately 1 million square meters per year. Then in five years we will be able to say: we do not have an apartment waiting list, we have a deposit and monetary program. I believe that with the assistance of the leadership of the Ministry of Defense, this ambitious goal can become a reality.
I am honored
Chairman of the Board
/ ex-deputy commander of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces
Ruslan DZHALILOV