In the morning at the door of the social center of St. Petersburg diocese in Krupskoy, 5, crowded. “Diakonia” and “coordination center of the help to people in difficult life situation” opened at the diocesan division of the diocese of St. Petersburg in social work and charity.
the room Itself is on Krupskaya, 5 a few years ago highlighted the diocese on the law of return belonging to the earlier Church, temples and houses of the clergy. So even the building itself, which is now deployed services – this former Church building. In the future it will be to rebuild the temple. In the meantime, the first step here is moved the diocesan service of the coordination center of assistance to people in difficult situations.
“Diakonia” projects at the expense of the presidential grants and donations. Come here to get help anyone can. In “Diakonia” do not ask recipients about religion, do not require the Petersburg residence permit. But the fact that it was Church charity and service. The “Diakonia”, for example, has a chaplain.
People at Krupskaya, 5, come on. Someone gets food parcels, someone recorded in the number of beneficiaries, someone just comes in to consult.
Irina Oleva, a social worker of the Foundation “Diakonia” is welcome at the table in the lobby. Writes all data in the volume log.
– we Have, in fact, it’s pretty simple. A man came, showed the documents, we need them for reporting home he can go over there with food packages, – said Irina.
Documents required a passport for people with disabilities – supporting statement for large families – birth certificates of children. Inquiries on incomes, about family members, do not require. Consideration of the issue takes a few minutes. For recruitment can be accessed once per month.
the line moves quickly. The study comes to a man. Sits on a chair in front of Irina, he begins to look for a bag with a passport. Visibly nervous. The man’s name is Alexander, at the social center he the first time. Says confused, apologizes, admits that he could not concentrate. Alexander is the third group disabled, he has four children. Eldest son these days are conducting an operation to amputate the leg at the Elisabeth hospital.
– We live in the social apartment, their housing is not, – says Alexander. It’s complicated. Was once in the ownership of the Studio, Alexander married, dreamed of a large family. Had children, became crowded, he took a mortgage, not like now at 6.5 percent, and on extremely disadvantageous conditions. Then had problems with work, the family lost the mortgage apartment, the city has given social housing. Alexander and his wife are saving money to buy his apartment, like in a pod, but then he got sick. CEICAS it is obvious that he will need a prosthesis, the guy is very young, just turned 18 years old.
– Now, these prostheses do like a real leg, only better, says Alexander. He wants to buy his son a prosthetic. But then about your own apartment, you can forget. But there are also three daughters. Alexander repeats in chant: “Three daughters: viola, Marina, Tamara…”
Irina outlines the story of Alexander. Says the Foundation will try anything to help. At least he will be able once a month to come for food packages. Maybe you’ll be able to do something.
to Give some large-scale promises here are not solved. In “Diakonia” no simple stories. Each beneficiary’s situation is very complex, the Foundation helps it.
meanwhile, to the doors of the social center starting to come men and women of middle age. Most of them are homeless. They modestly and neatly dressed. Looking at them, you would never think that they have no place to sleep.
someone Who lives with distant relatives, so to speak, on sufferance, someone on the last money to rent a room or a corner in the room. There are those who live in the cottages, many are found through friends and acquaintances, and when no one is willing to put on the bed, go in the front or scrape two or three hundred rubles for a bed in the cheapest hostel.
for Those who have no home, it is more convenient to come for food to the center, but families, especially those who live far away, we carry the products at home, says George Chulkov, he has two posts, he is the driver of the vehicle “Social patrol” and the social worker “Diakonia”. For him, as for other employees and volunteers of the Foundation is not just a job, but a Ministry.
George loads in the trunk sets for large families. Today it goes to the heart of Krasnoselsky.
While we’re going with George in the car “Social patrol”, he talks about his work. In Diakonia he has worked for six years, says he never planned to connect the life with charity, not even interested in this field.
– And then I had what is called a difficult life situation, helped me. And I was involved, came to the “Diakonia,” says George.
Since the beginning of the pandemic work from George has more.
Someone lost a job, someone withhold wages, so we are more likely to refer. But proposals for charitable assistance has become more. For example, recently the businessman has transferred to “Diakonia” one hundred food packages. And when the Petersburg authorities began to distribute food rations for school children, we began to come a wealthy family, they brought these kits, said, “Give to the needy”. We, of course, passed. The city collected a good soldering there is even the chocolate was, says George.
to Collect charity recruitment is a complex task, GL��wnoe to believe that people really need. For example, for large families in sets put baby cereals, pasta, vegetable and meat canned food, oil. That is, the products from which you can prepare a complete meal. Also often put household chemicals: washing baby powders, shampoos, toothpaste. It is not so expensive, but when in the apartment there is a large family, the washing machine is working almost around the clock and the same powder is a very popular thing.
And for the homeless sets are quite different. In such soldering, put the instant noodles, tea bags, canned mainly those that cannot be thermally processed, for example, beans. Often put disposable tableware, sanitary napkins, definitely a bottle of water. The calculation is based on the fact that the person is physically nowhere to cook food, in the best case, in a cafe he poured the boiling water.
Often in the “Diakonia” to send products to the stores. Then, in the social centre volunteers come, they are engaged in the packaging, shape sets.
George usually delivers kits for families. Says, in six years he visited the different houses. Among the recipients are very poor families and have to look at and very assured.
Once we have the address was a cottage near St. Petersburg, such a good house. I was surprised, are we wrong address. But as it turned out, the house taken out a mortgage, no work, so people asked, we helped, of course, recalls George.
Generally, among those who seek charitable assistance, loans most people have. With the start of the pandemic has increased the number of departures in modern residential complexes. Appeal to philanthropists young families, who have an apartment in the mortgage. Someone lost their job, someone is forced to idle. If the loan payment still somehow manages to scrape together the money, then food no longer remains.
Then people come to us. And they are right. It’s better than to take out a microloan to start or run from creditors. For the first time, of course, people are very shy. Now it is fashionable to be rich, successful, and then here is. But really, in life anything can happen and to ask for help is not a shame. And most of those with whom we work are normal people who have just a rough patch in life – George pauses, then starts talking about one of the beneficiaries, about the guy who came to St. Petersburg for a better life, he rented an apartment, went to rest abroad, and then got sick, unable to work, paying the rent, eventually became homeless, lived in the front. From this front it George somehow was taken to the hospital, it turned out that the guy had developed cancer when he got to the doctors, was already stage four cancer. Save him doctors couldn’t. And if he had not ppostesnyalsya has come to charities, who knows, may be formed in another way. But life, like history, does not like the subjunctive mood.
“Diakonia” is working closely with other charitable organizations providing assistance to people in difficult life situations. Friendly with “Flophouse” with the Maltese aid service, “Red cross”, “House of hope on the hill”, all not to enumerate.
In St. Petersburg in this respect, a good situation. There are many organizations that we all know each other, in fact, doing the same thing. And the people we help, too, turning in more than one organization but to several, it is also correct, someone in one direction is working, who else, says George.
for Example, “Diakonia” is helping people who are in difficult life situation, to go to appointments to government agencies. It is also a science.
– Here’s what happened the man trouble, he doesn’t know where to turn, how the disability issue. He comes to the MFC, like walk, he doesn’t know which window to address him, what questions to ask, what securities to issue. In the end, the man turns and walks away, thinking that the state did nothing to help. Therefore, in some cases people need to go to appointments, help them, for example, to articulate what they want. Because we have a lot of benefits for socially unprotected citizens. If you arrange all that is necessary to live will be easier, says George.
In recent years, the departments of social protection began to tell the citizens about charities, including about “Diakonia”. The logic in this, too, is: when the Department of social protection, someone calls and says, for example, needs urgent help the same food, the paperwork can take several days. And in the “Diakonia” set you can get the same day.
meanwhile, the “Social patrol” is coming to long high-rise building on the street of Marshal Kazakov. Here more than a thousand apartments and most of them live in large families, graduates of orphanages, people with disabilities.
Julia Salomatina along with her husband is raising five children, the eldest son this year graduated from the ninth grade. “Diakonia” comes to Solomorenas once a month, brings products. This time at the request of Yulia also brought sneakers to a son.
– About “Diakonia” I learned from social networks, they told the group of mothers of large families, – says Julia. Before the pandemic, she worked in a restaurant, doing the books. Now on forced leave, my husband works for two, but when five children and I need to get ready for school, drive in circles and gradually prepare for the exam, there is no family budget can’t handle.
Julia said benefits for large families, of course, a good many mugs free, but related expenses are still about��shade lot: uniform, stationery, sports equipment.
Julia’s neighbor, Nina Akimova seven children. Nina can’t hear or speak, but her children with hearing all right. Nina jokingly calls them interpreters. About “Diakonia” she learned from Julia, the family Akimovich once a month gets set from the Foundation. Nina Ekimova housewife, my youngest daughter only a few months. Like Julia, Nina interacts with several charities.
Nina and Julia in “Diakonia” called volunteers. It so happened that in a high-rise on Marshal Kazakov all the neighbors know each other. But given the specifics, very often, many families may need help. Nina and Julia then make neighbors with donors, and sometimes even share their sets.
– for Example, in April we brought baby cereal. And I have all adult children, eat ordinary food, so we porridge given to the families with very small children.
Meanwhile, George is going to go on. Every day he delivers 20-30 sets. Many readers know George for many years, when you meet them, laugh, talk news, talking mostly about the good. Of course, a few kilograms of food per month are unable to rescue the family from poverty, however, this support is helping someone to survive until employment, some to save money for medical treatment or the purchase of clothing. Each recipient has their own difficult situation, George said that the soul of the people, he will not go. “Our task is simple – if people want the products we bring,” says George. And “Social patrol” goes on to addresses.
