From IDP Status to Inheritance: What Legal Issues IDPs Most Often Face in Sumy Region

For people evacuated to Sumy from border communities or active combat zones, the first days after relocation often begin not with finding housing, but with restoring documents, applying for benefits, and receiving humanitarian assistance. These are the issues that lawyers of the Road of Hope project help address.

As part of the project, internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Sumy can receive free legal consultations, assistance with restoring documents, applying for social benefits, and food certificates worth 1,000 hryvnias.

Throughout April, lawyers of the Road of Hope project provided consultations on social benefit applications, document restoration, inheritance, alimony, pensions, real estate registration, compensation for damaged property, confirmation of citizenship, access to the “Affordable Medicines” program, and other important legal and social issues. Special attention was given to repeat requests, particularly regarding archival documents, difficulties with submitting applications through the Diia app, remote registration of destroyed housing for the eRecovery program, and problems with registering property during wartime and temporary occupation.

However, the first thing lawyers advise after evacuation is to officially register as an internally displaced person. There are two ways to do this: apply in person at the Department of Social Protection of the Population of the Sumy City Council or submit an application through the Diia app.

“To register through Diia, you must have an ID card or biometric passport, enabled geolocation, indicate your current place of residence, and have an eSupport card to receive payments. After registering for IDP status, a person can receive state assistance: 2,000 hryvnias for an adult and 3,000 hryvnias for a child or a person with a disability,” explain Oksana Boychenko, lawyer of the Road of Hope project.

She also assists with restoring lost documents, including passports, birth certificates, pension certificates, tax identification numbers, and real estate documents.

“Without a passport, a person often cannot apply for social benefits, receive medical assistance, or find employment. For many, restoring documents is the first step toward returning to normal life,” Oksana explains.

Assistance can be received through the NGO “Eleos-Ukraine" (+380664921542, Telegram/Viber). The organization also issues food certificates for IDPs and provides consultations on other humanitarian support programs.

In wartime, legal assistance is often just as important as humanitarian aid—because it helps people regain access to their rights, benefits, and property.

The Road of Hope project is implemented by Eleos-Ukraine in partnership with Johanniter International Assistance, with financial support from Aktion Deutschland Hilft.