‘Nochlezhka’

The regional humanitarian organization ‘Nochlezhka’ (the night shelter) has been helping the homeless – the most deprived group of the population who live in abysmal conditions - for 18 years. More than 50,000 people in St. Petersburg don’t have a home. The purpose of this organization is to reduce the number of homeless in the city and improve their living standards by protecting their rights. The organization also lobbies for changes in local and federal laws and develops welfare programs for the homeless in St. Petersburg and other parts of Russia.

Guidelines of activities
• Social aid to the homeless in St. Petersburg.
• Advocacy of and lobbying for amendments to existing legislation.
• Work through the Internet: spreading the best methods of work with the homeless to other Russian regions.
• Working with public opinion to raise social awareness.

The program and services provided by ‘Nochlezhka’:

Daytime services for the homeless.
Any homeless person can seek help from a social consultant from 10:00 to 17:00 on weekdays. The adviser will help restore identity papers and get medical aid; s/he will prepare documents for receiving a pension and disability benefits, help finding employment, organize a trip back home and render assistance in finding relatives. Any homeless person can get clean clothes and is entitled to daily hot meals from 10:00 in the morning until 14:00 in the afternoon. A qualified nurse will treat any wounds and will send the attendee for disinfection.

A shelter for the homeless.
The shelter provides beds for the night for any homeless person. It can accommodate twelve women and 40 men. During the first meeting, a social consultant offers an individual social rehabilitation plan to each needy person. S/he and the shelter sign a three-month contract which can be extended if necessary. Entry to the shelter is daily from 20:00 to 23:00. The tenants are required to leave the shelter before 10:00 in the morning.

‘A Halfway House’ is a centre for the social and psychological rehabilitation of homeless persons with addiction to chemical agents.

A homeless person who decides to get rid of dependence on alcohol can become a member of a rehabilitation program which is underway in one of the apartments in the shelter.

A night bus.

Five days a week, from 19:00 to 24:00, two specially-equipped minibuses go on night duty in the city. They make stops in specially-designated places. The bus routes cover the northern and southern outskirts of St. Petersburg. Up to 250 people turn to them for help every night. They include the homeless, street kids and pensioners. Anyone who turns for help gets hot tea and food. More than 60 volunteers are involved in this project. The free food is donated by businessmen and administration officials from various districts of St. Petersburg.

«Heating stations».
Each night in the cold season (November to April) a homeless person can ask for and get a night’s shelter, hot supper and a consultation from a social worker starting from 9pm. At 8 o’clock each morning, the tenant gets a hot breakfast and undergoes a medical examination. He or she gets a 60-square-meter winter army tent with an individual stove from the heating station.

Advocacy and lobbying for amendments to existing legislation.

At a daily meeting, the organization’s lawyer gives hints to the homeless on how to settle disputable issues through the courts. We defend these people against the bodies of executive power. We are doing a great deal of work to analyze existing laws, develop and lobby for local and federal laws related to the problems of the homeless:

Working with the public opinion is designed to increase tolerance and social responsibility.

Social advertising, films, street events, concerts in clubs, charity parties, photo exhibitions, the publication of books, articles in the press, televised interviews and other actions are aimed at making the general public grasp the scale and causes of homelessness, and urge it to make a contribution to the solution of this thorny problem.

We invite volunteers to permanent projects and unique events. Our organization offers practical training to Russian and foreign students. Additional incentives are created for young volunteers in the form of parties and free entry to concerts at St. Petersburg night clubs.

For those who you want to help:
Contact information
Regional Humanitarian Organization for the Homeless ‘Nochlezhka’
192007, St. Petersburg
Borovaya Street, 122 B
Tel/Fax: +7 (812) 380 50 44
E-mail: help@homeless.ru, office@homeless.ru
http://www.homeless.ru