The first residents are set to move into a controversial mobile housing development in Llantwit Major.
Vale Council says over 90 temporary homes built on the site of the former Eagleswell school are now ready to be occupied.
They were originally intended for use solely by Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war, but it will also house local families on the council's waiting list for housing.
But nearby residents have accused the council of breaching planning rules by using permitted development rights to force through the project.
Now, the scheme, which will be known as Heol Croeso, has been signed off by the council's planning and building control teams for use.
Council leader Lis Burnett said: "This development will provide temporary accommodation for those in desperate need, such as people fleeing the war in Ukraine and those currently living in other less suitable settings."
"It reflects a Council priority to help the most vulnerable as we bid to become a County of Sanctuary, signifying a commitment to support those who have suffered forced displacement."
"There is an urgent need for new homes as Wales is experiencing a housing crisis created by a shortage of accommodation, growing waiting lists and increased levels of homelessness."
"The use of this site will be important in easing the pressure on council housing stock and represents a far more dignified solution than the use of substantially more expensive and cramped temporary hotel accommodation."
The housing, which can be moved to different locations in the future, includes a mix of single and two-storey units with up to four beds for short-term use until more permanent housing is secured.
Vale Council says more than 200 families are currently in temporary accommodation, such as bed and breakfast - with four new cases each week, amid "unprecedented levels" of extreme housing need.
They also point to "a significant rise" in the number of people being made homeless in the last two years.
Eagleswell is allocated for housing development in the Vale's current local development plan, although the council is still holding talks with the Cardiff and Vale health board about potentially using part of the site for a new healthcare facility.
But residents living nearby have complained about the council pushed through the proposals - with campaigners taking legal action, arguing they should have been consulted first on the design and how the scheme would affect them.
Many of the units are metres away from peoples gardens and the gardens of some units are visible from some peoples’ upstairs windows.
One group of residents went onto raise funds to take legal action against the council.
Even before work began last year, the council's plans for temporary accommodation triggered a protest by far-right demonstrators, which was met with counterprotest by hundreds of people in the town in March 2023. Two people were arrested.
Permitted development rights are usually invoked for an emergency - but they must eventually get planning permission within 12 months of construction work getting underway.
Last July, councillors eventually approved an application for the Eagleswell site to remain in place for at least the next five years.
One woman who had driven about 1,800 miles from the war in Ukraine to the UK with her son in 2022 tsaid she was given a number of dates for when they would be able to move into Heol Croeso.
Kateryna Gorodnycha and her son, Timur, have been living in a small hostel room in Barry with all of the possessions they took with them, including two cats, while they wait.
Kateryna told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “I lived with sponsors for more than two years and if we [had moved] in in time, the first date we were promised was March 2024."
“If we had moved there in March it would be just two years with sponsors and it would be perfect for everybody."
“Our sponsors, we are so grateful for them because they waited and waited and they didn’t ask us to leave them, but the circumstances [became] worse and we had to move this summer in July.”
Kateryna said the opening date for the Eagleswell site continued to move, going from June to August and then to September.
She added: “It probably wouldn’t be an issue if we would stay here for a month, for one month, but staying here longer and having to deliver my son to school every day, it effects me.”
Tenants at Heol Croeso will be charged a flat rate of £174.27 a week plus a £40.72 service charge to cover utilities and other costs. That works out at £859 every four weeks.
Additional reporting by Ted Peskett, local democracy reporter for Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan
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