The implementation of the social rehabilitation project of the House for the Homeless

The implementation of the social rehabilitation of the "House of Industry" in the Skete of Holy and Righteous Zechariah and Elizabeth

In 2002 one of the families who received the spiritual sanctuary at the Church in the name of St. John of Shanghai decided to give the monastery an unfinished house in the village of Malaya Soltanovka of Vasilkovskiy district in Kyiv region.

At first lord Aleksey doubted if we will manage to handle two large-scale projects, the Temple in Kiev was still not completed. The decision to make the monastery outside the city solved two problems: the monks were removed from the madding crowd, and employees avoided the temptations of the capital, got a chance to change their lives by engaging in constructive work for the glory of God. Thus the construction of Skeet in the names of Holy and Righteous Zechariah and Elizabeth began. Here, almost immediately the existing experience of social rehabilitation began to be implemented. Soon "the House for the Homeless" and then almost the entire abode moved to the village Malaya Soltanovka.

Gradually, step by step, the construction of a residential building of the "House for the Homeless", joiner's shop, woodworking, iconic, sewing workshops and forge began. The main challenge in the implementation of the tutorial project the "House for the Homeless" is to create the largest number of work places, so that everyone can find work for the soul and work not for fear but conscientiously.

For centuries Church knows that without solving the spiritual problems social problems cannot be solved. As much as it can the abode helps people who found themselves in difficult situations aground. It is important not only to provide shelter, treat and feed, but also enable a person to feel relevance to others through social labour.

It is hard to count the number of people receiving rehabilitation over the period of realization of the social rehabilitation project. Even according to the most approximate estimates for 15 years of existing of the House for the Homeless, not one thousand people came through it.
Their future life also turned out in different ways: someone stayed at the monastery, became a monk and now strive for in the Skete in the names of Holy and Righteous Zechariah and Elizabeth, someone managed to get rid of bad habits (alcohol, drugs, gambling, etc.) with God's help and return to the mundane family life, someone found a work for the soul and still works in the monastery.

But the main thing is to restore the image of God in every soul, and even if a person starts to wander and indulge in vices again then as a rule that spiritual light that warmed him in the monastery, brings him back to the cloister.

And what could be more precious to God than at least one soul of a repentant sinner.