In Russia, the number of homeless women who turn to church shelters for help has increased over the past year. Most often they are elderly and women with children.
"The majority of homeless people are always men, but recently the proportion of women has started to grow. We are often approached by the elderly and women with children, mainly because of problems in relationships with loved ones. Some of them have lost social ties due to illness, alcohol addiction or mental disorders. We try to approach each person with special attention — we delve into the life situation and create an individual route that will help to get out of the situation of homelessness. Lawyers, doctors, psychologists, narcologists and social workers work for this purpose. Priests also communicate with people who live in our shelters, they support them spiritually," says Andrey Yakunin, head of the homeless assistance department at the Synodal Department for Church Charity and Social Service.
Compared to other regions, most homeless women began to turn to church shelters in Khabarovsk and Yekaterinburg. In Khabarovsk, an increase in the number of applications from new wards, mostly elderly, is associated with the loss of housing or work. In Yekaterinburg, the proportion of homeless elderly women is also high, while an increase in the number of applications from women with children is also recorded. An increase in the number of homeless women is also observed in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Tyumen. There are more appeals from women with mental disorders in Moscow.
The socialization of women and men takes the same amount of time and lasts on average at least six months, according to the project managers of assistance to the homeless. However, women are more likely than men to be forced to stay in shelters for a longer period of time.
During their stay in church shelters, staff help them find work, and after leaving the shelter, many women rent a house together.
Women in a situation of homelessness are asking to find temporary shelter and work, restore their documents, and receive medical care. 103 shelters, as well as emergency social assistance projects, and social canteens are working with the Church to help the homeless. In a number of regions, there are church mercy buses that distribute warm food and clothing to the homeless. 87 church homes for mothers have been created for women with children.