Shattering of Communities

Homelessness, in the current Ukrainian context, is usually to do with displacement by the enemy, who either overrun your home, or make it too dangerous to inhabit. We have already visited this problem in our blog on drones.

When you have to evacuate, you may be taken out by a special bus, but usually no help is given on finding a new place to stay. You go where you can, call in favours from family and friends, and hope to find a safe billet where you are welcome. Failing that, you become truly homeless, and may be in a dire state.

In the first year of the war, Ukraine Chain was involved in supporting a number of people who had moved from the Donbas, and were received by the church in a little town called Ciudei, near Chernovtsy in SW Ukraine.  At the time, the church was brand new, and the group, numbering 75, arrived and was invited to make use of it as their residence. The numbers diminished over time, with the more able members often moving on to western countries where they could find work. Gradually, the older and weaker ones were found accommodation in Ciudei and the surrounding area, and now the church no longer has residents, but is a simple church and community centre again. The church’s achievement is great and a testament to the congregation’s generosity and faith in the possibility of a positive outcome.

At Ciudei, the minister of the church became the baker for his

resident community of displaced people from the Donbas

One good thing in this situation is that the displaced group was kept intact; it is also unusual in that regard. But it is easy to imagine how much easier it is to bear the dislocation and trauma of losing your home, perhaps for ever, if you remain with elements of your home community around you.

These two displaced children at Ciudei are the orphans of a mother who died

of cancer. The community has provided them, and their two brothers, with a house.

Our new idea is to build groups of prefabricated houses, and invite groups of displaced persons from a specific location to occupy them as a community. We are seeking suitable land near Ciudei for this, on a charitable basis. The ideal solution is to convert second-hand, standard shipping containers, which are widely available, weather-proof, secure, cheap, and require minimal foundations. Ultimately, they can be re-sold to recoup much of the initial investment.

These Interior plan for container living accomodation (Wikimedia Commons)