A mobile shelter for the homeless has opened in Lviv
A “Mobile Support Center” for people who have lost their homes has opened in Lviv. Here, people can undergo a medical examination, receive clothing, hygiene supplies, food, and humanitarian aid, as well as speak with a social worker.
This new form of assistance was launched by the Lviv City Council. A special tent has been set up for this purpose, which will operate in different parts of the city each week. Here, people living on the streets can receive several types of assistance at once. Specifically, the following are available:
- a basic medical examination;
- a change of clothes and shoes;
- personal hygiene items;
- social counseling;
- humanitarian aid;
- information about available social services.
The first location was set up on Pidvalna Street, in the “Na Valakh” park near the Powder Tower. It is there that the “Oselya” Mutual Aid Community feeds homeless people every Thursday. Going forward, the mobile space will visit different parts of Lviv. The tent will be open once a week, but at a different location each time.
People can also be referred to a shelter
If a person needs more comprehensive assistance, social workers can refer them to the shelter at the “Dzherelo” Social Services Center at 3A Kyrylivska Street.
There, homeless people can shower, do laundry, have dinner, and spend the night free of charge. Further social support is also available at the center. Transportation has been arranged for this purpose. A special bus will run to 3A Kyrylivska Street so that people can reach the center and use its services.
Lviv Aims to Regain People’s Trust
City officials say that one of the project’s main goals is not simply to distribute aid, but to establish contact with people who have ended up on the streets. Tetyana Kolesnyk, head of the city’s social protection department, explained that some homeless people refuse assistance even when they need it. “This is a new approach to supporting homeless people. Our goal is to build a bridge of trust, because there are many cases where we see people living on the streets who refuse assistance. It’s very important to us that a person wants us to help them,” she noted.
Thus, the “Mobile Support Center” is intended to serve as a first point of contact for people living on the streets. Here, they can receive immediate basic assistance and, if necessary, find out where to go next and secure a place to spend the night. This was reported by the Lviv City Council.
In Dnipro, a public hearing endorsed the proposal to date the city’s history back to 1526. Researchers trace written, archaeological, and cartographic evidence of the settlement of Stara Samara—located on the territory of the modern city—to this very year.
