Helping people to return to a dignified life
Published: Jun 3, 2025 Reading time: 3 minutes Share: Share an articleThese people once had steady jobs, homes, and social lives. Sadly, due to Russian aggression, they have lost almost everything. Reintegration centres are becoming a temporary refuge for Ukrainians on the streets. Here, homeless people can spend the night, receive basic household services, and gradually return to everyday life. Since the outbreak of full-scale war, these centres have also been sheltering internally displaced people who have been left homeless by shelling. Thanks to a project funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), we support a reintegration centre for homeless people in Mykolaiv. Each individual has a dramatic story to tell.
The Mykolaiv Centre for the Reintegration of Homeless hosts men who have lost their social ties with family and society. Mykola, 66, used to have a family and a home. Following his wife's death, he found himself on the street.
"I have two children, but I don't communicate with them. I can't work because of health problems. I receive a pension of 2,361 hryvnias (roughly €50). However, this money is barely enough to pay for medicine. I can't afford to rent an apartment, so I live in the centre," Mykola tells us.
Some come into the centre independently, while others are brought by volunteers or ambulances. Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the centre has also seen internally displaced people. Mykola, 73, has a house in Kherson, but was forced to leave it because of intense shelling. He tried to get a job as a cleaner at the local zoo, but was not accepted.
"I have everything here, but I want the war to end as soon as possible. I want all children to have a future," he shares.
The war made 63-year-old Oleksandr from Kherson Oblast homeless in an instant. Before he ended up here, he used to wander the streets and spend nights at the railway station.
"Our village is gone. All the houses are damaged. My son is dead, and my daughter went abroad. That's why I'm here," he explains.
Oleksandr worked hard at a factory and a road company but did not have sufficient work experience to qualify for a pension. The centre helped him apply for social assistance, and now he receives a little over 2,000 hryvnias (€50) each month, which he uses for medicine and food.
The centre houses four dozen men. They can spend the night here, eat, bathe, and wash their clothes. The centre's staff help the disadvantaged apply for a pension or state aid, verify their disability, and be placed in boarding schools. Men who can work are engaged in public or household work.
The men here are fed three times a day. The shelter's cooks try to prepare delicious meals even from simple products available in the warehouse.
Thanks to a project funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), we supported this shelter and those who temporarily reside here. We repaired the bathrooms, ramps, and heating system, replaced the radiators, and provided the centre with furniture, kitchen, and laundry equipment.
The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 led to a significant increase in homelessness. Homeowners lost everything and became homeless in an instant. Some are finding it very difficult to adjust, so we must provide decent living conditions for them in their times of need.
