Pregnant, she fled the war in Ukraine for Savannah's safety. Now, she can't find a place to live
She arrived in Savannah just before St. Patrick's Day, tired and emotionally weary from her two-week evacuation from her native Ukraine. The brassy sounds of marching bands, the cheers from the smiling crowds and thumping music accosted Liudmyla's senses, reminding her of the emergency alarms she heard back home in Western Ukraine. But what meant violence back home, meant joy in Savannah.
"I come to the U.S. and people are just living their life," Liudmyla, who goes by "Liudi," said. "Mentally, it's very hard."
Liudi is a Ukrainian refugee. Pregnant, she fled her home alone, leaving her family behind, to seek safety for herself and her unborn child stateside. She has a friend in Savannah, so that's where she came when it was time to buy a ticket out of Poland, where she evacuated amid the Russia invasion of Ukraine.
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Fleeing the humanitarian crisis — the war in Ukraine has claimed an estimated 4,000 lives and displaced 12 million people from their homes — Liudi confronted another crisis: Savannah's affordable housing shortage.
The places closest to her job at Plant Riverside offer one- or two-month leases at most, Liudi said, and without a permanent address, social security number or bank account, she is left without the documents and funds to secure a permanent home.
She's living with a couple in Pooler for the time being, but they have to drive her to and from a bus stop so she can get to work, and Liudi doesn't want to be a burden.
"I need to find something people can rent to me. I don't know, maybe someone to believe me or something, because I don't know how it's going to work," she said. "We have a little bit different way to rent in Ukraine and here, looking is so difficult. Even to open bank accounts, you can do nothing without a social security number."
As millions of Ukrainian refugees flood housing markets in Europe, rent prices are surging in places such as Germany, Poland and Belgium, according to Reuters. In America, Afghan refugees have been struggling for months to find a place to live, leaving an estimated 70,000 people scrambling for safe and affordable housing.
Related: With at least 150 Afghan refugees moving to Savannah by February, one family tries to find a home
In Savannah, the shortage is not limited to those fleeing their war-torn countries. An estimated 20,000 Savannahians (about 14% of the population) are in need of affordable housing. The crisis has been compounded by the pandemic, when rent prices skyrocketed 30% and an influx of out-of-state people moved into the city carrying with them higher salaries and bigger buying power than the average Georgian.
Liudi's search for a home close to work makes her search harder. The tourism core — where her job at Plant Riverside is located — has been hollowed of most long-term apartment units in favor of short-term vacation rentals and luxury housing.
The search has worn on Liudi, who is due to deliver her child in September. Add on to it her struggle for protected immigration status and the lack of a support system and worry for her family and friends back home, Liudi has faced months of anxiety and worry.
"It's very hard. Very hard. So I'm going to keep on. I'm going to work at Plant Riverside and listen to relaxing music," she said.
Zoe covers growth and how it impacts communities in the Savannah area. Find her at znicholson@gannett.com, @zoenicholson_ on Twitter, and @zoenicholsonreporter on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Ukrainian refugee struggles to find housing amidst Savannah housing crisis
