Housing insecurity of internally displaced persons: a socio-philosophical aspect

Abstract

For the average Ukrainian citizen, the value of one’s own home is deeply ingrained and multifaceted. In peacetime, one’s home served as protection against national and global economic crises and personal financial hardships; it was a space for everyday life and rest, as well as a sacred place for the creation of family history. With the outbreak of the war, millions of people became forcibly displaced and lost their homes due to the destruction of housing infrastructure or the lack of access to housing as a result of occupation or the expansion of active combat zones. Compensation mechanisms do exist; however, they have significant shortcomings: de jure, they are not intended to cover all internally displaced persons who have lost their homes, while de facto, they demonstrate difficulties in implementation and limited effectiveness.

The aim of this article is to provide a socio-philosophical analysis of the housing insecurity of internally displaced persons as a factor of social exclusion.

It has been established that housing is perceived not only as private property and a material resource, but also as an existential value associated with the concepts of security, stability, belonging, identity, social self-affirmation, and recognition. The loss or instability of a home disrupts established social ties, makes long-term life planning impossible, and deepens experiences of social and personal disorientation. Internally displaced persons find themselves in a situation in which their social status is determined not only by the fact of displacement but also by limited access to basic resources, among which housing plays a key role. In cases of prolonged hardship or the absence of prospects for a fundamental solution to the housing problem, the concept of “home“ ceases to be perceived as a stable family or individual space and instead acquires the characteristics of a temporary, precarious, alien, and fragmented environment of existence.

It is argued that, in the context of profound changes in the lives of people who have been forced to become internally displaced persons (IDPs) as a result of the war, and under conditions of general uncertainty regarding their present and future, housing insecurity leads to social exclusion. At the same time, prolonged housing insecurity among IDPs exacerbates social inequality, triggering a chain reaction of socio-economic problems, forming a new socially disadvantaged class, and eroding their sense of social belonging. It also contributes to their perception of themselves as redundant individuals in their own country – people who are formally registered at an address yet are effectively homeless and hold keys to no home of their own.