A remarkable scene played out just outside of Kyiv on Thursday when Utah businessman and former professional soccer team owner Dell Loy Hansen walked the grounds of a new housing development for Ukrainians bombed from their homes with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Who? Hansen, who made his wealth as the founder of real estate investment firm Wasatch Group, has partnered with the Utah-based nonprofit To Ukraine With Love over the past year to build hundreds of homes for displaced Ukrainians. Alongside Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian officials, Hansen and Svitlana Miller, founder of To Ukraine With Love, toured Hansen Village on Thursday.
What? The village is expected to eventually house about 1,280 Ukrainians. Its initial phase includes 82 homes for 315 residents. Its second phase will entail 147 homes for 545 residents and the third phase will include 111 homes for 418 residents. It’s slated to house homeless elderly Ukrainians, war veterans, widows, orphans and those with disabilities.
Why? The village became a reality in a matter of six months, after Miller initially met with Zelenskyy during a Utah delegation’s visit to Ukraine in May, which was the first state trade and humanitarian trip to the country amid Ukraine’s war with Russia. Ukraine With Love’s work has since grown exponentially to include building entire villages and apartment buildings.
Future plans for the village also include a school for 600 students, a library, a clubhouse, playgrounds and outdoor gathering spaces.
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