The main activity of Oselya is organization of life and work of the Community of former homeless people. By living and working together companions learn to solve their problems and help other people in need.
Throughout 2020 we had 47 companions living in the Community. In Oselya, companions are provided with psychological support, they receive new professional and social skills, participate in cultural events and solidarity actions. Companions can be sent for medical treatment if needed, they receive pocket money and get help with renewing their documents. Newcomers have 3 months social training that include addiction therapy, personal development training and history of Emmaus movement.
When the quarantine started on March 12, there were 25 people living in the community, but we converted some common areas into bedrooms and welcomed 5 more people who wanted to stay with us.
To earn the money needed to support the community, the companions of Oselya not only did their usual work (collecting used goods, sorting, repairing furniture, etc.), but also took on any new job: seven companions were hired by Vynnyky municipality as street cleaners, and some companions did gardening in private households. The money earned were used for the whole community.
The companions risked to be infected with COVID-19 and had to overcome the fear of an uncertain threat in a crisis situation; trying to survive social distance through mutual care and active listening to those who are usually deprived of the opportunity to speak. Due to compliance with all quarantine measures and sanitary requirements, not a single companion or employee of Oselya got COVID-19, although they were exposed to danger during street work and at providing service at Social support center.
During the pandemic, we became the voice of homeless people left alone on the empty streets of the city. We acted as experts in working with the homeless, defended their rights, united the local community in order to support homeless people.
Despite the financial difficulties during the quarantine, we managed to keep stability in the community and and kept carrying out our actions of solidarity with the homeless (food distribution, sanitation, information about COVID-19, etc.).
In order to generate funds for everyday needs of the community and solidarity actions, Oselya runs social enterprise.
The main activity of this enterprise is collecting goods which people no longer need, but that can still be used by others (furniture, clothing, household items, toys etc.). We pick up goods in the city with two trucks responding to the citizens’ calls. We also collect goods from containers located near churches and OKKO gas stations. In 2020 with the support of “Concern Halnaftohaz” (OKKO gas stations) we have installed additional 2 containers and by the end of the year we had 30 containers in Lviv city. We still have a problem with people who steal and damage our containers.
Through the network of containers, we have collected 1 220 tons of clothing and other goods in 2020.
95 tons of collected goods cannot be reused or recycled (broken toys, torn pursues, torn and dirty clothing, regular trash). That is a lot of trash that people donate. Lviv city administration helps us to transport this trash to the dumpsters.
The companions and volunteers sort and repair collected goods and sell them in the charity stores or distribute among poor and homeless people. In 2020 we provided 779 families received clothing and shoes for free in our charity store.
We also shared collected goods with other organizations like Charity Foundation “Starosambirshchyna”, NGO “Healthy Future”, Municipal night shelter, Lviv City Center for Social Services for Children and Youth.
During the year, we had 3,568 clothing and shoes give-outs in Social Support Center.
Charity shops bring the main income to community and help us fund solidarity actions. We position our shop as a cultural center, not just a place where you can buy second-hand things. For many years we have been periodically organizing various master classes, literary evenings and other events for our clients and residents of Vynnyk. However, due to quarantine restrictions this year, they were unable to do so.
During lockdown in the spring 2020, our shops were closed. We had to think of alternative income.
Through lockdown, we switched charities to online on Instagram.
In September, a charity sale was held in favor of the Emmaus International Movement and their global solidarity projects.
In 2020 we continued to run the furniture workshop. 7 companions of the worked there. They gained skills in furniture repair, upholstery, sewing and 268 pieces of furniture. The furniture was repaired by order of Lviv and Vynnyk residents.
In 2020, the Center continued to operate, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic and strict quarantine restrictions, we were forced to make changes to its work schedule. Ensuring social distance in the provision of services proved to be a great difficulty and for that we had to adjust the schedule. About 50 people in need received services at the Center twice a week (Tuesday and Friday). In total, in 2020, 743 people received services in the Center.
In the Center during the pandemic, homeless people: 1. received consultations from a social worker and information about the pandemic; 2. were provided with the necessary means of hygiene; 3. received hot meals 4. were provided with the necessary clothes and shoes 5. received sanitary and hygienic services (shower, haircut, laundry) 6. received medical care. The operation of the Center and street work were carried out thanks to the earnings of the Community, donations from philanthropists and with the support of the Emmaus International Movement, the Department of Social Protection and Department of Economic Development of the Lviv city Council.
In 2020, in the social hostel of “Oselya”, there were 14 adults residents and 4 children. 10 of the adult residents are former companions of the Community.
There is a Workshop of Good Deeds “Emmaus – Oselya” in the same premises, which raises funds for the maintenance of the dormitory and solidarity actions. This is another place where city residents can practice good deeds and share their goods that they no longer need.
At the beginning of 2020, every Thursday, the Community prepared lunch for hundreds of homeless people and distributed it at 2 pm in the center of Lviv. During the quarantine, the number of the homeless and people in need increased rapidly due to job loss, general impoverishment of vulnerable groups in Lviv. At the height of the pandemic, many community initiatives to distribute food were suspended and this increased the number of people that we serve. We handed out more than 500 meals every Thursday. It was a great difficulty to ensure social distance during lunch, but we learned how to do that.
During street work, we invite people to use the services of Social Support Center, we inform about the symptoms of COVID-19 and ways of spreading, we distribute hygiene products, tell about other places to help homeless people.
This year, Anna Kostyuk from Lviv has launched a wonderful initiative: to celebrate special life events by purchasing food for our Thursday food distribution in the city center. Other people followed her example and during 2020, 34 people financed one food distribution each.
On December 17, 2020, St. Nicholas visited the homeless with volunteers and distributed 250 gifts.
In 2020, at the Lviv Palace of Arts, we organized Christmas Eve for about 500 homeless and poor people. Theatrical action and delicious traditional cuisine helped our guests feel the atmosphere of celebration and family warmth. Private companies and individual donors helped us to organize the events by donating food and funds.
Due to quarantine restrictions, we could not invite people to have meal in the building for Easter. However, we managed to organize 300 Easter packages with traditional dishes and distribute them on April 16 in downtown.
Since its very beginning Oselya has been developing partnership with Emmaus movement. In 2010 Oselya became a member of the movement. We participate in Ukraine – Poland Collective meetings and Regional Councils of Emmaus Europe.
Companions and employees of Oselya work on their professional development and actively participate in trainings, spread Emmaus idea and enrich their own experience. This year, the companions of the Community have formed a new football team and have training twice a month. The companions made a trip to Transcarpathia region, explored the outskirts of Lviv, and celebrated the 18th anniversary of “Oselya”.
In 2019 we started construction works of The recycling center. It will help us to improve our sorting process and storage of goods. And that will improve the service for poor people and better care for the environment.
The pandemic significantly slowed down construction works. During 2020, the walls of the building were erected and the roof was covered. Windows and doors are installed. Interior works, landscaping and access road need to be done. We are actively looking for funds to complete the project and put the building into operation.
The project is supported by Emmaus Europe, Emmaus International, Emmaus Haarzuilens and the Wild Geese Foundation, Emmaus Helsinki and private philanthropists.
3,728,230.36 UAH were spent for construction works in 2020.
Oselya continued its active cooperation with Ukrainian and foreign organizations. We have implemented a number of projects, including the Soup Kitchen project – Charitable Kitchen 2020 supported by Lviv Educational Foundation, “Quarantine without a home”: information, support, food, hygiene for the homeless, supported by the International Renaissance Foundation, the project “Homecoming” with the support of the Department of Social Affairs of the Lviv City Council, “Urgent provision in connection with COVID-19” supported by Emmaus International.
During the year, many media platforms were interested in the activities of “Oselya”, as we became experts in helping the homeless and poor people during the pandemic and quarantine. More than 25 different publications, radio and TV programs about Oselya’s work were produced.
A representative of Oselia took part, as an expert, in the Living Library event as part of the Docudays UA International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival.
Our Community was depicted in art project “History of Social Immunity”, which aimed to share life experiences of individuals and community initiatives to strengthen Ukrainian social immunity during the pandemic.
We participated in a study by the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine on the human rights situation of homeless people during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We participated in the discussion “Environmental social work: justice through responsibility” at the forum “Hear the cry of the earth: integrated ecology in action” in the 13th Ecumenical Social Week (09.10.2020), because our community has been restoring social justice for many years, inviting city residents to be responsible, to take care of others and the environment.
In the first half of the year, students of the UCU Social Pedagogy / Social Work Program practiced in the community.
This year Oselya took part in the project of the SENSE City Institute – a series about existing social enterprises in Lviv. The result of the participation was a video about our work.
On October 27-28, 2020, the online premiere of the documentary film “Not alone” took place, which became one of the winners of the twelfth competitive selection of the State Agency of Ukraine for Cinema and was shot in our Community last year.
STORIES OF FORMER COMPANIONS
Maksym Saxon (19 years old) lived in Oselya for 10 years. This year he became a participant in the City program of co-financing the purchase of housing for orphans 30/70, ie 70% of the cost is paid by the city, and the remaining 30% by orphan or his or her caregivers. “Oselya” took on assistance in raising funds, finding an apartment and drawing up the necessary documents for the purchase of housing. Maxim is no longer homeless. This is the first experience of obtaining housing for a former resident of the community.
Sashko Horondi (30 years old) came to the Community at the age of 19. He learned some tailoring skills in the community and in some time moved to the the social hostel of Oselya where he started an independent life, set up a workshop for sewing backpacks and bags in the basement, and in a while created his own business brand Horondi. In 2020 he became the winner and received the award “Top 30 to 30 years” from Kyiv Post.
BUDGET 2020
