Today it is a real holiday for 63 families-immigrants because they have received not only the keys to long-awaited apartments but confidence in future. The Certificates for accommodation in an office housing were given by the mayor of Mariupol Vadim Boichenko with the Minister for Temporary Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced People Vadim Chernysh.
New Mariupol citizens came with the whole families in ‘Molodiozniy’ Palace of Culture. Someone came with kids and someone with grandchildren. Everyone has his own story but a common pain is that they have been forced to leave their native places. They found the second home in Mariupol and the most important thing is that they felt support, care and participation. Today they are new residents of our city, barely restraining tears of joy, they received the keys to the long-awaited housing.
Vadim Chernysh stressed that this project could be realized if the city authorities wanted and participated. ‘This mechanism was developed by the government, tested as a pilot on the only bulk of Mariupol. It turned out to be successful. Now it allows to build their strategies for providing housing for internally displaced people to all the international partners and the government of Ukraine. Now Mariupol is a model that it is possible to solve these problems, it is possible to take and make people members of the community in a short period of time’.
The mayor and the minister went on a visit to the happy families of the new Mariupol citizens. They talked to them, learned the history of each of them and handed a gift for a housewarming party - a TV.
Thus, a three-room apartment in the house along Orlik Street was given to a large family of pensioner Nina Nikolaevna. She came to our city from Shirokino, fighting remembers with a tremor in her voice. Her 30-year-old son became disabled as a result of shelling the village. But now they have comfortable housing which will give them hope for the future. On behalf of the community of Shirokino, guests were appreciated for their support.
A three-room apartment was received in Solnechnaya Str. by an Associate Professor of Sociology Department of the Donetsk National University of Management Nikolay Chaplyk. It has already been filled with fervent children's laughter because he is the father of four young children. He came to Mariupol from Donetsk where he had a house.
‘I have been a migrant for four years, I have been living in Mariupol for two years. When I found out that we were allocated an apartment, I felt happy. I have found stability in this city. It will be easier financially with an apartment because I used to pay for renting a house. But the main thing is that anxiety and uncertainty that are common for a person sitting on suitcases, have left now,’ the head of the family shares.
The office apartments for qualified immigrants are one of those steps that are being taken in the city to solve the housing problem of internally displaced people. Thus, Mariupol was the first in Ukraine to build a social hostel for immigrants. And with the personal support of the Minister on issues of Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced People, the Prime Minister has allocated UAH 15 million from the state budget for the construction of social housing in Mariupol. An equal amount is allocated from the city budget. Thus, this summer houses will be opened that will provide housing for 39 families of new Mariupol citizens and indigenous people. Work is being continued in this direction.
