American philanthropist Dell Loy Hansen has received a €100 million loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Commission to build an additional 1,800 homes in Kyiv region for internally displaced persons and other vulnerable groups. The funds will be directed to the charitable foundation “Hansen’s Mission in Ukraine,” which focuses on providing housing solutions for displaced families.
The project is being implemented within the HUM “Stairway to Prosperity” initiative and combines affordable rental and rent-to-own models. The first loan tranche of €7.1 million will finance the construction of 182 homes, with plans to expand the project to 1,800 homes across multiple communities in Kyiv region by 2029.
The European Union supports the project by providing a first-loss guarantee through the Ukraine Investment Framework (UIF), which reduces risk and facilitates access to financing. In addition, the project will receive technical assistance from donors to enhance its social and environmental impact.
EBRD highlighted that Hansen’s team has developed an innovative model for delivering affordable housing in Ukraine — combining philanthropic grants with EBRD loans backed by an EU guarantee, which enables significant expansion of housing construction.
Since the start of the full-scale war, the EBRD has allocated more than €8.5 billion to support Ukraine’s energy security, critical infrastructure, food security, trade, and private sector. According to Hansen’s own figures, he has spent $140 million on aid to Ukraine over the past three years. For comparison, the largest foreign donor, Howard Buffett, allocated $148 million in 2022.
Hansen’s primary focus is on housing for displaced people and rebuilding destroyed communities. He has funded repairs of dozens of homes and the construction of a Cultural Center in the village of Sloboda in Chernihiv region, installed 450 modular homes in Makariv, Irpin, Bucha, and other locations in Kyiv region, built the Hansen Village settlement in Tarasivka for 1,500 displaced people, and the “Miracle” project for 310 elderly residents in Kolonshchyna. He also purchased and renovated 259 apartments in Sofiivska Borshchahivka, where about 800 people now live in the Hansen Apartments complex.
In Tarasivka, Hansen is building a $12 million school for 1,200 students, scheduled to open in 2025. By 2027, new phases of Hansen Village, Hansen Village 2 in Tarasivka, Lake Forest in Kolonshchyna, and Pukhivka Village in Pukhivka are planned. He is also investing $6 million in a rehabilitation center near Kyiv City Hospital No. 2, with a total project budget of $22 million.
Together with the Ukrainian government, Hansen is co-financing the “Phoenix” project to rebuild war-damaged homes in Kyiv region: the state provides “eRestoration” certificates, and Hansen contributes up to $30,000 per household to cover the remaining reconstruction costs. The foundation plans to restore 100 homes.
