Rebuilding Hope and Stability with Rental Assistance

Yulia, a Ukrainian refugee, left her homeland at the beginning of the war. Together with her husband and two children, she lived an ordinary and quiet life 30 kilometers from Bucha. As the situation worsened due to the war, Yulia began to think about moving to Moldova, the country that would be the most suitable for her children’s future.

“If we did not have them, I would not leave Ukraine, but we wanted a good and prosperous future for my children. Moldova was the only country where both of them would feel comfortable and could continue their studies in their native language.”

In April 2022, they fled the war as quickly as possible and arrived in the Republic of Moldova late at night. Yulia describes their arrival in the city of Balti as one of the warmest moments she has experienced in a long time.

“People were incredibly kind and caring because they saw how shocked and disoriented we were.”

Weeks passed, the war raged, and Yulia's children began to feel the need to lead a normal life and resume their studies: her son to continue studying music and nurture his passion for becoming a trumpet player, and her youngest daughter to go to school. Yulia then made the decision to move to Chisinau. After arriving in the capital, their family faced some critical difficulties, including the lack of a stable source of income and the inability to pay the rent. Problems that could have forced them to return to Ukraine, putting their lives at risk. It was during this time, at the end of 2023, that Yulia learned about the International Organization for Migration's rental assistance program, which provides temporary rental support for a six-month period.

“Basically, the IOM rental assistance program gave us a break and time to find work and an income to meet our needs. Today we are trying to live, to move forward little by little and to help other people."

Now, Yulia and her family continue to live their lives safely in Moldova. But the most important thing for Yulia is that her children have hope for a bright future. Her son studies music and her daughter attends the local school, where she also studies the Romanian language.

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Yulia is one of 110 Ukrainian refugees who have received 6-month financial support for housing in 2024 through the IOM Rental Assistance Program thanks to the generous support of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Population, Refugees, & Migration (PRM) 

For information about the IOM Moldova’s Rental Assistance, and other programs, please call the IOM toll free hotline: from Moldova 0800 10877; outside Moldova Viber, Telegram, or WhatsApp on +373 60379657.