Collection of information on the status of Her Majesty the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna under the Augustus.

Report to the Trustee on workhouses and workhouses. - Vol. IV. - St. Petersburg, 1902. (Extracts)

Institutions for labor charity

Industrious homes for adults and mixed and similar institutions

The growth and development of industrious houses clearly shows that institutions of this kind, if they are intended only for labor charity, do not satisfy many of the urgent needs of life and, solely under the influence of such, they take on forms completely different from those created for them theoretically.

The survey of industrious houses, undertaken in the reporting year at the direction of the Committee, gave quite definite confirmation of this.

Houses of industriousness, when they were established, were understood by the founders themselves as more or less simple, uncomplicated institutions, intended to provide temporary work to persons who had, but then lost it due to unfortunate circumstances. They did not undertake educational and corrective purposes, did not undertake general tasks of charity, and therefore in their pure form should be closed to professional beggars, children and the disabled.

Meanwhile, as a review of industrious houses showed in 1901, this type of them in life has found only very weak use for itself: at present there are hardly many such houses that, proper development their activities, would not have turned to more complex institutions.

This happened, on the one hand, because in a house of pure industry, under the influence of living conditions, it was necessary to open a number of auxiliary institutions, on the other hand, because in some areas an urgent need was discovered, along with able-bodied people - adults in need of temporary income - to accept disabled people, children and professional beggars, and, finally, with the third - that life has forced us to concern ourselves with strengthening the assistance provided in homes and making it preventive.

A clear example of the complication of the original simple type of house of industriousness can be seen at least in the Orlovsky house, subordinate to the Trusteeship of houses of industriousness and workhouses. September 22, 1901 marked exactly 10 years since the founding of the said labor assistance institution, which was opened on September 22, 1891 for temporary charity for homeless poor people in need of work and food; It was designed for 50 people when it opened. Also in 1891, the Trustee Society filed a petition about him

• 0 addition to the charter of the house of industriousness in the sense of granting the Society the right to open a night shelter at the house for the poor who do not work in the house, which shelter was opened to
• December 1. At the same time, at the suggestion of the Diocesan Committee, established to collect donations for the benefit of those affected by the crop failure, a free canteen for 100 people was set up in the shelter premises. In 1892, as a result of the crop failure of 1891, the need for food and charity for the poor city residents and peasants arriving to work became even more urgent, therefore, in addition to the mentioned free canteen, 4 more cheap canteens were opened with funds from the Provincial Charity Committee, which were received under the jurisdiction of the Trustee Society. In the same year, the Society’s leaders saw themselves forced to open a children’s department at the house for temporary care of orphaned and generally street children. Due to the fact that the orphanage children, of whom 50 were accepted at first, could not be placed in permanent positions due to their unpreparedness for work, there was a need to provide them with craft knowledge. The Trustee Society tried to pursue this goal, teaching children in the shoe, box and hosiery workshops, at home, in the kitchen and bakery, which was also already open by this time, and also sending them to printing houses, bookbinding and the city metalworkshop. In addition, the Trustee Society placed them in workshops of various workshops to teach children crafts.

A school was established at the refuge, enjoying the rights of an elementary zemstvo school, under the direct supervision of a special teacher.

In 1893, the activities of the Trustee Society expanded further, namely, in order to combat the cholera epidemic, a second shelter and a cheap canteen were opened. To combat beggary, the Society in the same year issued penny checks with a statement in them that for one a check gives a portion of hot food or half a portion of porridge, for 3 checks - hot food, one and a half pounds of bread, etc.

In 1894, the idea arose about establishing an almshouse for elderly women, which was carried out the following year, 1895. This year, women's workshops received special development, which, in addition to fulfilling small orders from private individuals, also began to accept contracts for the supply of products for different institutions. Special craftswomen were hired to train those in need. For the sale of stockings produced in women's workshops, in addition to selling them at the workshop itself, a warehouse was opened at the store of the local merchant Vlasov. In May 1895, the Oryol Charitable Society for the House of Diligence came up with a proposal to transfer to its jurisdiction the charitable society of the “Nursery” shelter, with all its equipment; Moreover, the Charitable Society undertook to provide the House of Diligence with an annual subsidy of 150 rubles. Under these conditions, the “Nursery” shelter was accepted by the Trustee Society along with the three children who were in it. Actually, the character of this shelter does not quite correspond to the generally accepted concept of shelters called “Nursery”; it would be more correct to call it the juvenile department of a children’s shelter due to the fact that children are left here not only for daytime, but live permanently. In 1895, due to the cheapness of bread, the need for cheap canteens decreased so much that the board of the Society decided to close them until there was a new need. Nevertheless, the Society, in order to ensure that those in dire need were not deprived of the opportunity to receive cheap bread, established a branch of a cheap canteen at the House of Diligence itself.

In 1896, the number of children cared for in the children's department of the House reached 80 children, and in the “Nursery” shelter increased from 3 to 22.

Due to the fact that the orphans, the poor, and the elderly living at the House of Diligence were deprived of the opportunity, due to the remoteness of city churches and the lack of sometimes warm clothes and shoes, to visit the temple of God, there was a natural need for the establishment of a home church at the House of Diligence, which was built with donations money and consecrated on September 15, 1897 by Fr. John Sergiev.

In 1898, the activities of the women's workshop expanded even more; it brought net profit 2200 rub. In addition to the previous workshops, a brush room was added for awaiting men.

In 1899, men's workshops received special development, producing for the first time, instead of the usual deficit, an insignificant profit; At the same time, they began to expand the bakery existing at the House of Diligence.

In 1900, an intermediary office was established at the House of Diligence to find places and occupations.

According to information from 1901, the Oryol House of Diligence with its divisions is a series of buildings near the city center, on the river bank, surrounded by gardens and constituting, as it were, a whole colony of charitable institutions, which includes the following institutions: 1) church; 2) library; 3) the House of Diligence itself for temporary care of adult men and women with workshops: hosiery, seamstress, box, package, shoe, carpentry, metalwork and bakery; 4) shelter “Nursery”; 5) a refuge for boys; 6) shelter for girls; 7) school; 8) an almshouse for elderly women (one old man is also cared for in a separate room);

9) a shelter for the incoming poor; 10) for them a cheap canteen and 11) an intermediary office for finding places and activities.

Every day the House of Diligence cares for up to 225 people.

The value of the Company's property exceeds RUB 75,000. The parish received 20,877 rubles in 1901. 94 kopecks, during the same time 23,002 rubles were spent. 50 kopecks

The same - to a greater or lesser extent - complex institution of labor assistance is, for example, the Kronstadt House of Diligence (not subordinate to the Trusteeship), which has: 1) a church, 2) an orphanage, 3) an almshouse, 4) an overnight shelter, 5) dining room, 6) handicraft classes, 7) Sunday school, 8) book store, 9) cheap apartments, 10) an intermediary office for hiring female servants, 11) a hospital, 12) a public school, 13) a children's library and 14) the organization of public readings. The cost of real estate of the Kronstadt house is 350,000 rubles, the amount of available capital is up to 490,000 rubles, annual income is more than 77,600 rubles, expenses are 59,580 rubles.

Then, the 1st House of Industriousness of the St. Petersburg Metropolitan Trustee Society for Houses of Industriousness (subordinate to the Trusteeship) was also built with its workshops: sewing, weaving, carpentry, wallpaper, rope products, plumbing and foundry, painting, shoemaking and a workshop for making rugs and paths; it has: 1) a dormitory, 2) a kitchen, 3) a dining room, 4) a library, 5) a labor center (free sewing workshop), 6) a job search office,

7) organization of external work, 8) laundry, 9) disinfection chamber, emergency room and first aid kit; It is also proposed to open a nursery and establish a bakery and overnight shelter. The Capital Trusteeship Society has property worth only 65,240 rubles. The Company's income for 1901 amounted to 24,611 rubles. 12 kopecks, consumption - 18,145 rubles. 65 kopecks Total number the expected 1 house of hard work reached the figure of 30,907 rubles.

To complex houses of industriousness and, moreover, significant in capital and real estate(over 30,000 rubles) also include the following institutions subordinate to the Trusteeship of houses of industriousness and workhouses: house of industriousness in Vilna, in Rostov-on-Don named after P. R. Maksimov, in Kyiv, in Nizhny Novgorod them. Mikhail and Lyubov Rukavishnikov, in Yelets, in Poltava, in Rodom, the 2nd House of Diligence of the St. Petersburg Metropolitan Trustee Society for Houses of Diligence, in Saratov, in Tula, in Kharkov, in Odessa and in Rybinsk, in total with the above two - 15 institutions.

The same houses of industriousness, but not under the jurisdiction of the Trusteeship, are available: in Baku, Warsaw, Vyatka, Grodno, Kursk, Moscow named after N.A. and S.N. Gorbov, in Moscow, the Sergievsky House of industriousness of the “Moscow Anthill” society, Samara, Simbirsk , St. Petersburg - the Evangelical House of Diligence and the House of Diligence of the Petrovsky Society for Helping the Poor, in Tsarskoe Selo, Tver, Torzhok, Chernigov, Revel and Yaroslavl - a total of 19 institutions.

Of the other existing labor houses, some still remain simple and uncomplicated institutions for temporary income, but, apparently, most of them have already embarked on the path of complexity. There is no doubt that the rest will follow these last ones, since life steadily directs them towards this. There is no doubt that in the future they all, or at least the vast majority of them, will turn to complex institutions and open the doors of their establishments not only to workers seeking temporary work in the workshops at home, but also to everyone who needs them - many facts convince us of this . That the houses of industriousness of the pure type are theoretical and that, on the contrary, houses of the complex type are practical, was concluded, among other things, by the heads of the designated labor aid institutions and their caretakers who were present at the Congress held from April 16 to 22 of this year.

According to information from 1901, there are up to 130 trustee societies, circles and trustees for industrious homes (for adults and mixed ones). Of these, 77 labor assistance institutions operate on the basis of model statutes adopted for the Trusteeship of industrious homes and workhouses, the rest on the basis of special statutes, completely or not completely consistent with the exemplary ones.

In the reporting year, five houses of industriousness were reopened: the Blagoveshchensky House of industriousness for disadvantaged women in St. Petersburg; house of hard work, established by the Society for the Care of the Families of Exiled Convicts on the island. Sakhalin; a house of hard work for women established by the Cross Charitable Society in St. Petersburg; the house of industriousness of the Menzelinsky Society for Benefiting the Poor and the house of industriousness of the Society for helping the needy population of Khvalynsky district, Samara province, in the village. Noble Tereshka, - the first three are subordinate to the Trusteeship, the last two act on the basis of special statutes. In addition, it is proposed to open: the House of Diligence in the city of Hungrov, Siedlce province, the draft charter of which, agreed with the approximate one, is now being approved; then the house of industriousness - in the city of Czestochowa, Petrovka province; in Cherkassy, ​​Kyiv province; in St. Petersburg, a house of industriousness for tailors and a house of industriousness in the city of Nikolaev, established by the Nikolaev Society for the construction of shelters.

Of the listed institutions, the house of industriousness on the island deserves special attention. Sakhalin and the proposed opening of the house of industriousness in the city of Czestochowa.

The rules of the Sakhalin House of Diligence were approved on December 5, 1901, but the institution itself actually began its activities in mid-September of the same year.

The extremely difficult financial situation of part of not only the exiled, but also the full-fledged population of the island. Sakhalin, explained mainly by the insufficient local demand for labor, has long pointed to the need for private charity to intervene in this area to provide assistance at least to those in need who do not refuse to work to support the existence of themselves and their families.

Imbued with the conviction of the urgent need for such intervention, the Society for the Care of the Families of Exiled Convicts decided to take the initiative in this matter, and since the most rational type of assistance seemed to him to be labor, the general meeting of members of the society on March 17 of last year decided to establish on the island. Sakhalin in Lent Alexandroven House of Diligence.

The implementation of this resolution was started without delay, for which purpose the Board of the Society sent nurse E.K. Mayer to Sakhalin.

During the first two weeks after the opening of the House, 150 people worked in it, but soon then the number of workers daily reached 150, and if it did not increase even more, it was only because the funds not only did not allow the Society to increase the contingent of workers, but also forced he subsequently reduced this contingent to 70-60 people. in a day.

Work in the House of Diligence consists of sewing linen, clothes and shoes, weaving carpets, weaving nets, making mops and mattresses, etc. In addition, outsiders approached the House to hire people from it for work outside the House, for example, earthen. Orders for products and their sales were insignificant at first, although they amounted to 800 rubles in September and October. income, should, in the opinion of the Board and in the opinion of sister of mercy E.K. Mayer, increase significantly in number, as the House of Diligence gains greater fame among the administrations of prisons, hospitals, mines, etc.

Sister Mayer, with the assistance of local officials who offered their services, organizes folk readings with humane paintings in the House on Sundays, and purchased a gramophone and checkers. These readings are very willingly attended not only by the workers of the House of Diligence, but also by many of the residents of the Aleksandrovsky post. In addition to Sunday readings, the House organizes evening literacy classes (3 times a week).

Since most of the workers who found employment in the House belong to the homeless and huddle in all sorts of dens, where there can be no question of maintaining any hygienic conditions, some of the workers were placed in a bathhouse adapted for housing in one of the rented houses. Over time, an overnight shelter will be set up at the House.

In view of the urgent need for a recommendation office that would serve as an intermediary between employers and workers, it was proposed to open one in the city of Nikolaevsk, where every year, after the opening of navigation, a significant number of job seekers accumulate, and employers, taking advantage of the servitude of many exiles, exploit their labor until extreme limits.

From the above it is clear that the already six-month existence of the House of Diligence in question has proven the extreme necessity of this institution on Sakhalin and that its activities should develop in a very short time to very significant proportions. The Committee of Trusteeship of Labor Homes and Workhouses did not fail to come to the aid of this young and so attractive institution of labor assistance, which at the beginning of this year allocated to it, in accordance with its journal resolution most graciously approved by Her Majesty the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, a non-refundable allowance of 10,000 rubles. for the construction of your own building and 5,000 rubles. for education loan working capital home of hard work.

The need for a home of industriousness in Częstochowa was explained by its founders, on the one hand, by the fact that in Częstochowa, as a large factory town, a mass of working people accumulate - men and women, many of whom, not getting to local factories and plants for various reasons, remain positively without a piece of bread and are forced to earn their living by begging and other reprehensible means. The projected labor assistance institution, which will be under the jurisdiction of the Trusteeship of Labor Homes and Workhouses, is intended to provide temporary income to the aforementioned persons. On the other hand, the need for the said institution is motivated by the very important indication that the house of industry in the said city can serve to prevent all kinds of social democratic teachings that are being spread in Częstochowa, as a border city, by workers coming from Prussia and Austria. The proletariat is especially sympathetic to the extremes of the said teachings, in whose midst an element is created that is politically unreliable. A house of industry in a given locality, providing shelter and food for the poor and thereby reducing the number of those suffering from unemployment, will undoubtedly be an institution that helps to suppress the spread of the mentioned harmful teachings.

House of industriousness in the village. Noble Tereshka, Khvalynsky district, was opened with private funds collected by subscription. It produces matting and coolers for bark. Under the guidance of two craftsmen, in 1901, 14 teenagers from local residents aged 12 to 16 years were engaged in weaving matting. Due to the lack of handicraft and factory crafts among the local population that could provide any assistance in the economy, strengthening the existence of the House of Diligence in the named village is highly desirable.

Menzelinsky, Ufa province, the house of hard work was opened by a local society for the benefit of the poor in 1900, but the first information about it was delivered by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which is in charge of the said society, only at the end of January of the reporting year. The House of Diligence in Menzelinsk is, in essence, an insignificant educational and demonstration workshop in terms of the number of boys it nurtures (only 5 in 1900). In it, in order to teach local residents useful skills in their everyday life, the weaving of sarpinka on an aircraft loom, the weaving of carpets, matting, and weaving of napkins were organized, work from white and black tin was organized, and, in addition, the Board of the company intended to introduce carpentry and metalworking skills.

The Annunciation House of Diligence in St. Petersburg aims to provide assistance and shelter to disadvantaged women and girls by training them as scientists and nurses.

The rules of the First House of Diligence for Women in St. Petersburg, established by the Cross Charitable Society, were approved at the end of the reporting year. The said institution has outlined for itself the general objectives pursued by the houses of industriousness.

The charters of the remaining industrious houses proposed for opening are being developed by their founders.

Following the example of previous years, the Committee for the Trusteeship of Houses of Industriousness and Workhouses and its bodies took a number of measures in 1901 that served to develop and strengthen the activities of houses of industriousness.

Thus, some institutions, in accordance with the most mercifully approved journal resolutions of the Committee, were provided with benefits and loans from the funds of the Trusteeship; other institutions converted previously issued loans into non-repayable benefits, and others extended the payment of such loans in installments. From the first group of labor assistance institutions, 1,550 rubles were allocated to the Trustee Society for the House of Diligence in Yamburg for the construction of a bathhouse, laundry and disinfection chamber, to the Laishevsky Trustee Society for the House of Diligence for the needs of the weaving workshop maintained by this society, 413 rubles, to the Kyiv House of Diligence for expansion of the building he occupies 10,000 rubles, Dvinsky House for the purchase of an estate 1200 rubles, House of Diligence in the village. Isaklakh for expanding the activities of this institution 1000 rubles, the house of industriousness in the city of Khvalynsk, Saratov province, for the same subject 800 rubles. and according to Nezelenova’s will, the III house of industriousness was given to the St. Petersburg Metropolitan Trustee Society for houses of industriousness - 7967 rubles. 67 V 2 kopecks, so that this amount is converted into the untouchable capital of this institution and so that annual interest from it goes to the current expenses of the house. From the second group of institutions, loans were converted into irrevocable benefits: to the Oryol House of Diligence (3,000 rubles), the Volsky Society (3,000 rubles) and the Saratov Trustee Society for the House of Diligence from the amount issued to the society in the amount of 9,000 rubles. loan credited 2500 rub. The repayment of the remaining loan of 6,500 rubles was given as a non-repayable benefit. for three years, i.e. until 1904. In addition, the payment of loans issued to the Vitebsk House of Diligence in the amount of 2,500 rubles was spread over 10 years. and the Radom Charitable Society in the amount of 5,000 rubles.

Finally, regarding the especially manifested successful activities boards and individuals who served for the benefit of the houses of industriousness, the Committee brought it in the journals of the meetings to the Highest information of Her Majesty the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, and the August Patroness of the Trusteeship of the houses of industriousness and workhouses most graciously deigned to announce Her Majesty’s full allowance to the Council of Rostov-on-Don. Don House of Diligence named after P.R. Maksimov, the Board of the Kyiv House of Industriousness, the leaders of the Odessa House of Industriousness and Mrs. Gorbova, the head of the house of industriousness she established in Moscow. In addition, Her Imperial Majesty was pleased to deign to declare gratitude on behalf of Her Majesty to Mr. Konstantinovsky for his fruitful activities for the benefit of the Pskov House of Diligence.

Orphanages of hard work

There were only ten purely industrious orphanages. Among them, two operated in villages, two in county towns, and the rest in provincial cities and capitals.

Among the largest institutions of this kind is the Galernaya Gavan industrious home for teenage boys in St. Petersburg. It employs 70-80 children aged 12 to 15 years, distributed between workshops: shoemaking, carpentry, bookbinding and metalworking. The latter is now closed. The most diligent and skillful boys receive a wage from 3 to 5 kopecks. per day, but the money earned is given to the children only when they finally leave the House of Diligence.

The orphanage for industriousness in Riga is also relatively large, in which over 60 girls were cared for. The wages in this institution are assigned only from the 2nd and 3rd years of girls’ attendance at the home of diligence and, in general, are also small.

Almost the same size is the house of industriousness in Kherson, maintained by a local charitable society. It consists of a school, workshops and a boarding school where up to 30 boys live.

From the data on industrious orphanages it can be seen that their type can hardly be considered established yet. In theory, this is an open (without boarding school) institution, intended primarily to provide income to children when, instead of studying, they are forced to earn food for themselves by the labor of their own hands.

In fact, it turned out that many orphanages for industriousness turn, on the one hand, into closed institutions, thereby approaching shelters, and on the other, into institutions for vocational training, reminiscent of educational and demonstration workshops in their organization. By providing only a small income or not providing it at all to those in orphanages for hard work, these institutions do not achieve their intended goal in this regard and, under the influence of living conditions, develop into institutions of a completely different, in turn, very useful type. It is very likely that in the near future, orphanages for industriousness will retain only their name, but in reality they will turn into shelters and workshops.

Nurseries, day shelters and nursery shelters

These institutions were intended not only to provide care for children, but also to free parents from caring for them in order to be able to freely devote themselves exclusively to work, at a time when work reaches its highest stress (for example, during times of suffering in villages), and therefore, in in turn, can be considered as institutions of direct labor charity.

The nurseries under the jurisdiction of the Trustee contain, firstly, societies and circles established mainly for the maintenance of other institutions, for example, educational and demonstration workshops, orphanages, etc.; secondly, societies and circles specially organized for the establishment of nurseries; thirdly, zemstvo institutions using subsidies from the Committee for these purposes, and fourthly, individuals.

Societies and institutions opening nurseries as auxiliary institutions provide information about them along with reports on the main institutions they contain.

Societies and circles specially established for the maintenance of nurseries draw up reports on forms drawn up for them, which are sent to them annually by the Office of the Committee. There were 11 such societies and circles in the reporting year, of which 3 were in cities (Simferopol, Akkerman and Syzran) and 8 in towns and villages. One of the district societies (Birskoye) opened 6 nurseries in the reporting year, another (Menzelinskoye) - 5, a third (Nikolaevskoye) - 3, and the rest one each, with the exception of the Buguruslan Trusteeship of the nurseries, which in 1901 did not open any nurseries at all.

From the zemstvos, with the assistance of the Guardianship, in 1901 the nurseries were maintained by the Malmyzh, Vyatka province, district zemstvo. For the 400 rubles allocated by the Committee. the named zemstvo opened a nursery, which operated during the summer at 6 points.

As for the nurseries opened under the authority of the Guardianship by private individuals, there were 22 of them in the reporting year. Of these, 3 were maintained exclusively at the expense of private individuals, who donated a total of 200 rubles for the nursery. 68 kopecks The remaining 19 nurseries were supported by private individuals who donated a total of 581 rubles. 39 kopecks, and for the benefits allocated by the Trusteeship of the Homes of Industriousness and Workhouses in the amount of 1925 rubles. 2 kopecks (including 156 rubles 46 kopecks remaining after the closure of the nursery in the summer of 1900).

Each of the 19 managers of the nurseries, who had general supervision over them, received about 13 rubles for the entire period of operation of the nursery. 50 kopecks; each of the 41 nannies received about 6 rubles during the same time. 50 kopecks And each of the 23 cooks costs about 5 rubles.

The nursery was located in one or two rooms, allocated free of charge in zemstvo, parochial schools or schools of the Ministry of Public Education; where there were no schools, a hut was hired or a barn was built for a nursery; for renting premises in peasant huts about 4 rubles were paid. during the duration of the nursery.

The cost of food for children and employees in each nursery shelter averaged 44 rubles. 71 kopecks, including donated products; the total cost for each nursery shelter (with donated products) was equal to 88 rubles. 70 kopecks The total cost per child per day was 10 kopecks, while food for each child was 5 kopecks.

The required number of nannies for a known number of children cannot be established on the basis of average calculations for nurseries, because, as can be seen from the data for individual nurseries, there were cases when salaries were given to 4 nannies who had care for 11 children (s. B. Glushitsy, Nikolaevsky district, Samara province), but there were also cases when only 1 nanny was hired for 56 children (the village of Kamennaya Sarma, Nikolaevsky district, Samara province). Approximately, we can say that one nanny can cope with 20 or even 30 children, in the latter case, of course, provided that older children are involved in caring for the younger children.

As in 1900, there were no nurseries, that is, institutions for infants, at all. There were either daytime shelters for children from 2 to 10 years old, or nursery shelters, that is, mixed institutions for both the above-mentioned children and infants.

Educational and correctional institutions for labor assistance

Houses of hard work with educational and correctional character

Among these, the most noteworthy are the Evangelical House of Diligence in St. Petersburg and the House of Diligence in Tver, then the Moscow and Mitavsky Workhouses.

Hard workers come to the Evangelical House of Industriousness voluntarily, but the condition for entering the house (with boarding school) is compliance with strict regime, reminiscent of the regime of a medical institution. For alcoholics, for whom this regime is not sufficient, there is a special hospital in Teriokki. I have my own house worth over 50,000 rubles and over 7,000 rubles. in Terijoki. Annual income is 15,600 rubles, expenses are approximately the same amount. There are 326 men per year and 25 in the nursing department. The annual production amount is about 10,000 rubles, for which amount the products are sold; raw materials are purchased for the amount of about 6,000 rubles. 75 people work, about 25,000 working days.

When opening the Tver House of Diligence, the local charitable society “Dobrohotnaya Kopeika”, which ran it, had the goal of eradicating or reducing beggary in the city of Tver, as a result of which various measures were designed in agreement with the governor. It was supposed to establish a registration in the city police department of persons detained for begging, those with residence permits would be sent to their places of registration, and those who did not would be treated like vagrants; urban beggars capable of work should be transferred to the Council of the Society for placement in a house of industriousness; the local governor expressed his readiness to assist in the establishment by the Tver petty bourgeois Society of an almshouse for Tver bourgeois who are unable to work and are engaged in begging; the detention of beggars was supposed to be carried out not in the center of the city and not on church porches, and this measure should not be carried out suddenly, but on its outskirts, so as not to cause any disturbances on the part of the beggars; it was planned to ask the residents of the city of Tver to stop manually distributing alms and instead of this distribution to contribute a certain amount of money to the Society’s cash desk for the maintenance of the house of industriousness. These measures were introduced too hesitantly and did not meet with the expected sympathy from the residents of Tver. Almost exclusively people who were detained by the police for begging or beggars who did not have clothes for the winter came to the house of industriousness.

Since March 1895, the said Society, recognizing that the purpose of the House of Industriousness is not so much to eradicate beggary, but rather to prevent it, that the House of Industriousness should provide urgent, if possible short-term, assistance to the destitute, released from hospitals, released from places of imprisonment, arrived in the city of Tver and could not find a place for themselves, residents of the city of Tver who do not have income, and generally fell into poverty - by providing them with work and shelter, pending a more lasting arrangement of their fate, took measures to attract such persons to the house of industriousness . To achieve this goal, the latter was divided into two departments: in one of them, various workshops were established, master-leaders were invited, and persons who were not engaged in begging, or, although they were engaged in begging, were admitted to this department for a short time and expressed a desire to leave this profession ; the second department accepted professional beggars and persons whose moral stability seemed doubtful; at the same time, some from the second department, if they wanted to start working life and learn a craft and had completely moral behavior while in the second department, were transferred to the first. Particular attention was paid to persons of the second department who had not reached the age of majority, who, if desired, were transferred to workshops and learned a craft. Simultaneously with the establishment of the workshops, a special building was built for the overnight shelter. An overnight shelter for visitors was transferred to the new building, while for those living in the House of Diligence, special rooms were allocated for overnight stays in this latter building, and in them, just like during work, those in need were accommodated in groups, depending on age, moral qualities and partly by origin and previous profession.

The House of Diligence has organized workshops: carpentry, metalsmithing and blacksmithing, shoemaking, tailoring, sewing, suitcase bookbinding, weaving baskets, carpets, straw products, pouring rubber galoshes, gluing paper bags, cardboard, plucking drapes, feathers, containers, sponges, ropes and hair, dyeing, painting and painting, sifting ash, all kinds of work for laborers; in addition, if persons familiar with any special craft enter the House of Industry, the Society finds work for them that corresponds to this craft. For all these crafts, orders are fulfilled in the House of Diligence, and if they are not available, products are made for the store in the House of Diligence. Both craftsmen and workers are sent home to carry out orders in their specialties, as well as for chopping firewood, clearing yards of snow and debris, carrying things, unloading boats, for earthworks, etc. Due to the fact that most artisans and Those studying carpentry and plumbing in the house of industriousness are placed in a carriage building plant or factories near Tver, where all machines are driven by electricity or steam power; in the house of industriousness a kerosene engine is installed, with the help of which some machines - drilling, lathe, band saw etc. - are set in motion in order to thus accustom workers to handling tools set in motion by mechanical force.

The Mitau House of Industriousness largely implements the idea of ​​​​German workers' colonies. His use consists of the “Statthof” estate allocated by the city of Mitava, half a mile away from it (on a long-term basis), which contains about 1000 acres. Of this number, only 10 dessiatines are cultivated by the beneficiaries, and the rest of the space is rented out in small plots. The general impression made by Stathoff is quite favorable: there is order, discipline in a religious and moral spirit, and at the same time a loving attitude towards people who, through no fault of their own, are often involved in an abnormal lifestyle and have deviated from the common path of work. During 1901, up to 52 people stayed in the house. In general, the type of people who visit Stathof are workers with weakened ability to work for some reason (including alcoholics, or pure alcoholics, or a special type of psychopath, so successfully described in the article by P.I. Kovalevsky “Poor in Spirit” // Trudovaya Pomoga , September 1901), a type of vagrancy possessed by the disease.

His income is over 9,000 rubles, including from work expected to be over 7,000 rubles. Consumption over 11,000 rubles. for the maintenance of the building and administration, including up to 3,000 rubles. and for wages over 500 rubles. 148 people live in the institution. In the workshops, work is carried out only during the time free from agricultural work and in the woodyard. If we exclude the operations of the wood yard, then the cost of production is insignificant (barely exceeds 500 rubles).

The Moscow workhouse, the only one that fully implements the idea of ​​forced labor, was established in 1837 to engage the poor in work and to provide income to persons who voluntarily turn to it for help. Until the end of 1893, the Workhouse was run by a Committee for the examination of alms-givers and was a relatively small institution, the organization of which was little consistent with its name and purpose; from the end of 1893 it was transferred to the jurisdiction of the city public administration. The latter took great care to organize various works for those in need, allowed a wide reception of volunteers, which was almost never practiced before, and significantly expanded the premises of the institution. Currently, the Workhouse consists of two parts, one of which occupies old premises in the central part of the city, and the other is located in Sokolniki in new premises acquired and adapted for the Workhouse by the city. In terms of the composition of those in custody, the Workhouse is a complex institution, consisting of: 1) a prefabricated department for the detention of persons brought by the police for begging, until their cases are examined by the city presence;

• 2) departments for persons detained for begging;
• 3) departments for volunteers. In addition, the Workhouse has departments for children and adolescents and a department for those unable to work. All deserving persons receive in the Workhouse full content. During 1900, on average, 1,434 people were kept in the workhouse for each day of the year, including 960 people capable of working. Work organized by the Workhouse is divided into 4 categories: external work, construction work, work in workshops and work for home needs. There are two types of workshops in the Workhouse: 1) crafts, which include blacksmithing, carpentry, shoemaking, bookbinding, wallpaper, saddlery, tailoring, 2) workshops general production, which do not require professional training, such as: box, hook, button, envelope, package and basket-linen. In addition, an educational basket and furniture workshop has been set up for teenagers in the Workhouse.

The cost of maintaining the workhouse in 1900 amounted to 171,342 rubles, not counting the cost of materials for work. Income from work extended to 564,552 rubles, including from external work 72,608 rubles, from work in workshops 73,049 rubles, from construction and asphalt work 413,442 rubles. and from work for the needs of the institution 5453 rubles. Of the total income from work, 48,717 rubles. given to those expected in the form of earnings, 70,696 rubles. remained for the benefit of the workhouse, and the remainder went to cover the cost of materials and overheads.

These houses of industriousness and workhouses give a more or less definite expression of the idea of ​​​​corrective education underlying the institution. But besides them, there are several smaller houses in which this idea is not so clearly expressed, but which, in turn, strive to organize their lives in an educational and correctional sense.

Artel of labor assistance

The Yaroslavl Society, which has established so far the only artel of labor assistance in Russia, by the nature of the tasks it pursues, is, as it were, called upon to supplement the activities of industrious houses that do not pursue educational and correctional tasks in relation to that category of people for whom the assistance of these institutions cannot be exhaustive.

As can be seen from the practice of such houses of industriousness, there is a fairly significant contingent of those who are left without a means of subsistence, not due to the conditions of the social system, i.e., the excess of the supply of labor over its demand, but due to their own moral weakness.

These are free, walking people, known as tramps, goldenrods, zimogors, etc., who live for the moment and see the purpose of their life only in acquiring money for vodka.

The composition of this relatively large group of people is extremely diverse. Among the tramps you can find landless peasants, workers, and, finally, quite intelligent people.

Temporary material assistance provided to such persons, without systematic moral influence on them, does not achieve its goal, since, having taken advantage of the help provided to him, the tramp will drink everything he has and will still remain a beggar.

The industrious houses of the prevailing type, to which the persons in question chiefly resort, are unable to lift them out of poverty, chiefly for the following reasons.

Dealing with a large group of people, very heterogeneous in their composition and knowledge, these institutions, naturally, cannot pay special attention to the quality of the work they organize and, by necessity, focus this exclusively on providing the income possible more those looking for it, which in turn, of course, is achievable only with the introduction of publicly available work that does not require either special knowledge and skills, or a relatively long stay in the institution. The latter, moreover, would contradict the purpose of industrious homes - to provide only temporary assistance to persons who, for random reasons, are left without income.

The consequence of this peculiarity of the organization of industrious labor in houses, which is reduced mainly to pinching sponges, gluing boxes, sorting waste, and other less instructive activities, is the extreme unproductivity of this labor, both in the real and figurative sense. On the one hand, he is poorly paid, and on the other, he is completely deprived of that educational element, if present, work can have a beneficial effect on the moral side of a person. Thus, if the activities of industrious homes, which are not specifically intended for educational purposes, are necessary and useful for the numerous poor people left without work, who really need only temporary assistance, then it should be recognized as having little relevance in relation to that group of disadvantaged people who require no not only providing them with labor, but also moral support and guardianship.

The establishment of special educational and correctional houses of hard work for them is not always achievable, first of all, due to their complexity and high cost. In view of this, in order to carry out the work of moral support and care for people who have already fallen, it is sometimes necessary to look for other ways.

This is precisely the task that the Yaroslavl Labor Aid Society took upon itself.

A feature of the activities of the Society in question is the organization of artels of people who are physically quite capable of work, due to their own weakness, lack of will and tendency to drunkenness, who have fallen out of the rut of life.

People accepted into the artel are adults, able-bodied and promising to fully obey the orders of the administration. Artel workers receive food and are obliged to go to all the jobs assigned to them. From earnings the following is withheld: 10% for the Society's expenses, the cost of food, the cost of clothing supplied to them in case of need, and money sent by some to their homeland. The remainder is handed over to the artel workers after 3 months. This 3-month mandatory period for staying in an artel is one of the features of its structure and is explained by the fact that three months of a proper working life with good nutrition and the absence of drunkenness gives a greater likelihood of reforming a drunkard and a sloth than a shorter period. It should, however, be noted that every week on Saturdays, the artel workers are given 10% of their weekly earnings for tobacco and other small expenses.

Spacious wooden barracks were built to house the artel. The team members sleep on bunks, and they are located spaciously; right there they have dinner and right there in the evenings educational, scientific and religious readings take place for them, to which Special attention Society.

There is a doctor and a home first aid kit for patients' use. People who do not go to work without a legitimate reason and generally do not obey the orders of the administration are immediately expelled from the artel, and, however, the rest of the earnings due to them are given only after the expiration of the contractual three-month period.

Each artel worker has in his hands a “contract and pay book” in which his earnings and expenses made for him are entered daily. In addition, the rules of the artel are posted in the barracks itself. The closest supervision of the artel is the headman, hired by the board of the Society from outside the artel. In the barracks of the artel there is posted a list of food supplies for each day of the week, calculating the quantity per person. Regardless of when the artel workers work away from the barracks, they are given 10 kopecks daily for breakfast. for everyone. Particular attention is paid to good and plentiful food, since, judging by experience, good food is the best means of combating alcoholism. The team members themselves control the quantity and quality of supplies and hire a cook.

This right of control, and especially of hiring, has an extremely beneficial effect on the artel workers, raising their self-esteem.

The work performed by the artel is different: such as, for example, unloading ships and wagons, sawing firewood, excavation work, carrying and transporting heavy loads, etc.

There is usually no shortage of the named work, since employers willingly invite artel workers due to the fact that they do not have to recruit workers one person at a time, but immediately and quickly receive a whole batch, without being forced to treat each one separately.

From the brief data presented about the Yaroslavl Labor Assistance Society, it is clear that, thanks to the peculiarities of the artels it organizes, the contingent of persons protected by the Society lives not on charity, but on their own earnings. This is very important condition, raising a disadvantaged person in his own eyes and morally elevating him. The very issuance of a work book to each artel worker, the recognition, so to speak, of his rights as a worker, is important. educational value, giving him the opportunity to look at himself not as a worthless scum of humanity, but as a worker, and, moreover, a person with equal rights with other artel workers. The majority of artel workers, imbued with the conviction that they live on the funds obtained by artel labor, are ashamed of being the backbone of their own comrades and try to work hard. And by earning money through hard work, artel workers begin to value labor money, moreover, they gradually develop frugality and competition with their comrades to save more money - especially since work books clearly show how little by little, but carefully, each artel worker’s amount increases earnings.

Since September 1901, over the course of several months, 109 people have been in the artel, many of whom, having dressed with the assistance of the artel, went to work for a salary, while others returned to their homeland. Most worked and were artel workers for 3-4 months. The number of artel workers, of course, fluctuates significantly depending on the time of year: in summer and spring, when there is a great demand for labor everywhere, there are fewer artel workers, but in winter and autumn the team in the artel is full.

The wages of artel workers, depending on the time of year, start from 45 kopecks. up to 1 rub. and even more per day; On average, the usual salary of an artel worker is 60 kopecks. per day, or, minus absenteeism and unemployed days, 10-12 rubles. per month.

Olginsky and other orphanages of hard work

In the reporting year, there were 43 shelters of this kind under the jurisdiction of the Guardianship, and of them 5 in capitals, 6 in provincial cities, 19 in districts and 13 in villages.

The largest of these shelters must be recognized as the St. Petersburg Olga Children's Shelter for Diligence in Tsarskaya Slavyanka, maintained at the expense of His Imperial Majesty the Sovereign Emperor.

This shelter was the prototype of the Olga orphanages in Russia. The regulations on it were approved by the Highest on January 31, 1896. The buildings were built in 1897-1898. with funds most mercifully granted by His Imperial Majesty the Sovereign Emperor.

52 dessiatines are allocated for shelter. 1621 sq. soot; the buildings are designed for 200 children of both sexes aged 6-15 years, left in the capital without supervision or shelter.

The orphanage is a large complex institution with a church, general education and craft classes, an agricultural farm, a hospital, a boarding school, and a kitchen. The large number of buildings (24) was determined by the decision to place those in care according to the so-called family system, that is, several persons, headed by their teacher, in each separate house, as well as by the needs of the various departments of the shelter. The 140 boys in custody are housed in six separate houses, each of which is secondary school with the public school program. A female department of 50 girls and a juvenile department with 32 students of both sexes make up two more schools. In addition to general education subjects, carpentry, plumbing, shoemaking and tailoring are taught to boys in the orphanage workshops (the tailoring workshop is expected to be closed as it has a harmful effect on the health of children). Boys are also trained in ordinary agricultural work in the field, vegetable garden, barnyard, when threshing bread, etc. Girls are trained in handicrafts: cutting, sewing, mending, simple embroidery, etc. and, in addition, in the hospital to care for the sick, work in the kitchen of the women's department, in the laundry, ironing and dairy. The shelter hospital, which is run by a woman doctor, satisfies not only the needs of the shelter, but also provides assistance to the local department; The hospital has an outpatient clinic for outsiders, who made 2,922 visits in 1900.

The cost of buildings is estimated at 182,221 rubles. The shelter has an income of 4,745 rubles. from the farm and 2071 rubles. from the works of the envied. The total amount of expenses is 58,470 rubles, of which 38,928 rubles. for building maintenance and administration. Food for one person in need per year costs 54 rubles. 90 kopecks, clothes and shoes - 17 rubles. The number of days spent was 81,252 and working days were 42,075.

Similar to this shelter, others have arisen, although with less funds, as a result of which they cannot implement, for example, a family (in individual houses) system of charity. Nevertheless, many of these shelters deserve full attention, both for the organization of business in them and for their size.

Of these larger shelters, Kazansky should be noted first of all.

This orphanage was opened in 1892 under the name “School of Children’s Hard Work,” but in 1900 it was renamed the Olga Orphanage, with the approval of the corresponding charter. For the benefit of 10,000 rubles received from the Committee of Trusteeship of Houses of Diligence. purchased a house that is currently being renovated.

The institution was designed for 100 people; in 1900 there were 15 residents and 8-6 visitors. The company has a capital of 32,662 rubles. and has an income of 9395 rubles, including 568 rubles. from the works of the envied. The annual expense is 6,907 rubles, including 3,914 rubles for the maintenance and rental of the building and administration, and 280 rubles for materials and tools. Food per pupil costs 72 rubles per year, and clothing costs 3 rubles. 68 kopecks, not counting donations. Works include carpentry, turning, bookbinding, tailoring, wire work, shoe making, and for girls, handicrafts.

The Eletsk orphanage for girls also deserves attention. He owns real estate worth 25,000 rubles. Annual income is 14,142 rubles, including 1,086 rubles from anticipated work, expenses are 8,673 rubles, including 1,606 rubles for the maintenance of the building and administration. and for material and tools 668 rubles. Food for children costs 22 rubles. 18 kopecks and clothes 5 rubles. 91 kopecks Permanently living children 65. Craft departments: sewing, hosiery, seamstress, ironing, blanket, lace, carpet.

The data about the Omsk shelter is very interesting.

At the end of 1891 and at the beginning of 1892, there was an intensified movement of peasant migrants from the internal provinces of Russia to Siberia, caused by the poor harvest of the previous two years and the almost universal harvest failure in Russia. During this difficult time, several thousand peasants appeared in the city of Omsk, who found themselves in far from favorable conditions here, since they encountered the same lack of food in Siberia and the districts of the Akmola region. Despite all the measures taken to alleviate the plight of the starving newcomers - in the form of setting up overnight shelters and free canteens - soon infectious diseases and mainly typhus spread among them, as a result of which many peasant families found themselves orphaned children, left literally without shelter, clothing and food, to the mercy of fate. The wife of the military governor of the Akmola region, E. A. Sannikova, took care of the placement and care of these orphans, and at her initiative a shelter was set up in the premises of the Red Cross soup kitchen. This shelter was originally intended to provide charity only to the orphans of migrant peasants, and only during its continued existence was it forced to open its doors to orphans of other classes, to foundlings and, finally, to those young children whose parents were serving sentences in Omsk and other prison castles ( since the stay of innocent children in a prison environment cannot be considered comfortable).

When it opened on May 1, 1892, the shelter had absolutely no funds and at first existed on the remainder of the amounts allocated to support the starving settlers. But then donations appeared, of which 6,500 rubles were received in the first year. This year there were up to 40 people in the shelter; their maintenance cost 1,425 rubles, so more than 5,000 rubles remained free. The following year, the shelter's cash desk received 5,309 rubles. With the balance from the previous year, the shelter already had up to 10,500 rubles during the second year, which gave its administration the opportunity to take care of setting up a more convenient room, instead of a rented one. On the site where the shelter is now located there was once a dilapidated, almost uninhabited wooden building of the clerk school of the Ministry of State Property. At the request of Governor General Stepnoy, the building was given over to the shelter and in 1893 it was completely rebuilt, which cost the shelter 7,297 rubles. IN next years Up to 4,000 rubles were spent on repairs and additions. Currently, the total cost of the shelter with all buildings and other household equipment is determined to be more than 16,000 rubles.

In 1896, Secretary of State A. N. Kulomzin visited the shelter. Having personally become familiar with the organization of the shelter and wanting to come to its aid, he, firstly, applied for an annual leave of 1000 rubles to run the shelter. from the auxiliary funds of the Committee of the Siberian railway and, secondly, in order to put the shelter in a stronger and more definite position, he proposed to place it under the jurisdiction of the Trusteeship of Labor Houses and Workhouses, which is under the August Patronage of Her Imperial Majesty the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. As a result of this, a special charter of the Trustee Society was developed for the Olginsky orphanage of industriousness for orphans in Omsk, which charter has already received approval; On July 11, 1900, on the day of the celebration of St. Olga, the official opening of the Olga shelter took place, which, according to the new charter, was called upon to provide broader labor assistance on an amateur basis.

Currently, there are 80 children in the shelter, including 26 boys and 54 girls aged 3 to 17 years. The shelter's reserve capital reaches 13,574 rubles.

The leaders of this institution believe that the task of every orphanage is not so much charitable as educational. The result of charity, as we know, is productive only if and under the condition that the fostered child develops into a useful and honest worker, and when the pet leaving the shelter can earn its own livelihood through independent work. Therefore, the administration of the orphanage constantly strived to ensure that, along with religious and moral education and upbringing and literacy training, children were taught some useful skill.

The network of shelters “House of Diligence Noah” is a unique organization for our country, created by Emil Sosinsky under the patronage of the clergy of the Temple of Cosmas and Damian in Shubin for people who, for various reasons, found themselves in the Moscow region without a roof over their heads, but are determined to change their lives to to the best. With us, people become full members of society: they work, receive a salary, restore documents, return to old families or create new ones, and most importantly, live in a house! The main rule for them is to lead a sober and working lifestyle.

IN this moment More than 600 people live in our 14 shelters (5 of which are “social” - for the elderly, disabled, women and children). The organization restores passports and other documents to wards, arranges conversations on spiritual, social and psychological topics, and helps them find work. Paying rent, maintaining residents of social houses, buying food, medicine and necessary household items - all this mainly comes from half the earnings of our wards - able-bodied men who get jobs as auxiliary workers on construction sites (they receive the second half of the money in their hands weekly). These funds are not enough for everything and not always. Therefore, our shelter is in dire need of support: charitable, volunteer, prayer.

We will be very grateful for your help in organizing the production and marketing of any products that can be produced by residents of our social homes - people with limited mobility. Only by uniting with all those who care, only together can we solve the problem of homeless people by making them home!

Work progress

1. In October 2011, with the help of the parishioners of the Church of Sts. Cosma and Damian in Shubin, who helped raise funds for rent, opened our first shelter;

2. In the summer of 2014, at a general meeting, former homeless people decided to use their own funds to open the first social home, in which only disabled people, old people, women and children would live;

3. From 2014 to 2016 4 more social houses were opened, the number of people living in them exceeded 200 people. An attempt was made to unite all the elderly, disabled, women and children under one roof on the territory of a mothballed recreation center we rented in the Sergiev Posad region, but due to financial difficulties and active opposition from local summer residents, we had to leave it and move people to other houses ;

4. At the moment (at the end of September 2017), the number of our “social wing” is already approximately 250 people. With the help of charitable donations, we managed to cope with the financial crisis and avoid the reduction of social homes. Now we are again accepting disabled people from the streets.

results

Over 6 years of activity, we have achieved the following results:

1. 14 shelters in Moscow and the Moscow region, in which more than 600 people live (about 250 of them are old people, disabled people (including bedridden, blind, paralyzed people), women and children);

2. In total, more than 7,000 people lived with us at different times, each of them received overnight accommodation, three meals a day and clothing assistance;

3. With our help, about 2800 documents were restored (passport, SNILS, medical insurance), some people received disabilities, benefits and pensions;

4. About 2,500 medical examinations of residents of our shelters were carried out;

5. More than 500,000 workdays were worked by the wards of the houses of industriousness;

6. We provided about 550,000 overnight stays and 1,800,000 feedings for our residents;

7. We sheltered 163 pregnant women;

8. Residents of our shelters entered into 40 official marriages;

9. The rules of staying with us strictly prohibit the use of alcohol and drugs, the residents of our houses live in sobriety, work and caring for each other - this saved many people from inevitable death from a street lifestyle and severe addictions.

Jul 08

The House of Hard Work “Noah” (a shelter for the homeless from the Temple of Cosmas and Damian in Shubin) invites people to stay who, for various reasons, find themselves in Moscow and the Moscow region without a roof over their heads and are ready to live an honest, working and sober life. The shelter provides recovery assistance to those staying with us. Russian documents and employment. Doctor's appointments and legal advice are provided regularly. Three full meals a day are provided, there is an opportunity to wash and wear clean clothes. We prohibit swearing and assault.

We accept people who are sober and who have undergone (if necessary) disinfection treatment.

Contact phone numbers:

Sheremetyevo 89262365415

Yurlovo 89645289784

Yamontovo 89262365417

Khovrino 89263723872

Office 89262365415

Emilian (manager) 89262365415

11 comments to “House of Hard Work “Noah” invites you to stay”

1. Kovalenko Lev Nikolaevich wrote:
   

   “People who find themselves without a roof are invited to stay,” but for how long and what will they have to do?
   The fact is that literally a week ago, a man released from the maximum security penal colony IK-2 in Engels approached me with a request to advise him on which monastery he could go to in order to move there for permanent place residence, given that his left arm and leg are paralyzed. He is about 60 years old. I would like to know; could he count on permanent residence in the house of hard work “Noah”?
   If we recall similar cases, we remember that several years ago the Engels nursing home sheltered three people released from prison. But soon these guests were denied shelter, because... They persistently began to establish Zonov’s rules in the shelter. In this regard, the question is: how are “Noah” going to ensure conflict-free accommodation for quite problematic people?

2. Vladimir wrote:
   

   Good afternoon
   I have a difficult situation and will soon be homeless
   Could you tell me more about your living conditions?
   with respect Vladimir
   8926-496-81-47

3. Yulia wrote:
   

   How much money do your women earn per week? And what kind of work do they do?

4. Eremin Yuri Mikhailovich wrote:
   

   I am homeless and temporarily live in the Ryazan region. Caring people gave shelter so that they wouldn’t freeze in the winter, but there was no food! I don't smoke or drink! I’m trying to get out of this situation, but I haven’t been in jail yet, not a drug addict, but a completely adequate person with useful skills, such as a tinsmith, a cook, making blocks for the economical construction of buildings and utility rooms, but my dream is to create an Orthodox radio station for residents who cannot attend services! And I can do this immediately upon arrival in Noah! Within a few days, all you need is the Internet and one assistant! Everything else will come with me! I will be glad to answer all your questions. Georgy.

5. Vitaly wrote:
   

   HELLO everyone!!)) Alena, Nikolai, Vladimir and others.

6. Vitaly wrote:
   

   I lived in your house for some time. I am THANKFUL for your support!!

7. Andrey wrote:
   

   My name is Andrey, I have arms and legs, I can work, I ended up in Moscow because of the war in Ukraine, I was left without documents and housing. I’ll send you help

8. marina. wrote:
   

   my name is Marina. A month ago I lost all my documents and money. The house in which I lived after the sale of the apartment is not suitable for habitation. I became a victim of realtors. Now I live with a friend. This will not last long. After restoring my Vryatli passport, I will restore the money, cards and similar. I’m thinking about the monastery, I don’t know how to get to obedience. Help. I'm 62 years old

9. Sveta wrote:
   

   Good time days! By chance, on this site, I am ready to help Marina if she has not found shelter, or another woman who is in a difficult situation. The fact is that I live in Moscow, my mother is in the province, lives in big house, where there is gas, water, sewerage in the house, a large vegetable garden, outbuildings. She lives alone and is 70 years old, so that she doesn’t get bored, we are ready to accept a decent woman into our home for permanent residence, she will have a friend for her mother and she won’t be bored. Not for the sake of self-interest, if anyone thought so, we have everything. It’s just that the mother is bored alone; together they would plant a vegetable garden, keep chickens, etc. tel.89067044342

10. Andrey wrote:
    

    There are so many homeless people in Moscow! They wander around the center, spend the night at train stations, beg for alms from churches... We either turn away in disgust or shove a coin; Sometimes we call Social Patrol in the winter if it seems that a person is about to freeze to death on the street. But more often we are indignant: if they beg, we should go to work!

    Good idea. But can a homeless-unpassported-unregistered person get a job? That’s just it... But it happens that he doesn’t want to, because lately there are social services and volunteers who will feed, warm, wash, give out new clothes - and you can return to the street again, to your usual homeless life and drinking buddies.

    Emilian Sosinsky, a parishioner of the Church of Cosmas and Damian in Shubin, at first also participated in feeding, clothing and treating the homeless, but soon realized that this was not enough.

    « This does not solve the problems of the homeless: for many of them, constant handouts are simply harmful - people get used to their situation and no longer want to return to ordinary working life", he says.

    How to really help? The answer to this question was the appearance in 2011 of the first shelter, the Noah House of Diligence. Parishioners who supported this idea helped raise funds to rent the first cottage in the Moscow region.

    Emilian's “ark” was open to everyone who found themselves in a difficult life situation. The homeless were provided with housing, food, social and legal assistance, provided they met two main conditions: work and not drink.

    Let’s leave behind all the trials that befell Emilian along this path: claims from the police and the Federal Migration Service, the courts, and rogue employers... In 3.5 years, we managed to create 8 labor houses in which approximately 400 people live and work.

    But Emilian does not consider “Noah” his know-how: more than a hundred years ago, this model of caring for the homeless was implemented by St. righteous John Kronstadt - his House of Diligence saved people “from laziness, idleness, apathy, parasitism.” The “Noahites” try to follow in his footsteps: they live by rules based on the Gospel.

    « If any of our rules does not correspond to the Gospel, we must cancel or change this rule. The main thing is that you can’t put an end to a person», – Emilian says. And they don’t put it: if someone has to be kicked out for drunkenness or parasitism, then, having repented of what they have done, the person can return, and even more than once, but subject to the conditions specified in the rules.

    The principles of St. John of Kronstadt are a guiding light for “Noah,” but time makes its own adjustments to the “economy” of workhouses. The famous shepherd received large donations from all over Russia for his charges, and the inhabitants of “Noah” live at their own expense - approximately half of their earnings go to the organization’s statutory purposes (renting houses, food, doctors, social workers, lawyers), the other half is their legal salary.

    Some people list it as family; someone is trying to buy " standard set» person recovering from alcoholism: clothes, phone, laptop – to search on the Internet for options to continue your ongoing independent life; someone improves their health, usually starting with false jaws...

    When things were going well for “Noah” - he did some auxiliary work at construction sites, for which he was regularly paid - he managed to accumulate a “stabilization fund”. The managers of the industrious homes (and these are not employees hired from outside, but well-proven, responsible former homeless people) jointly decided what to do with this small, but still fortune: arrange more comfortable living conditions inside the houses? Get transport? Invest somewhere to generate income?

    But behind the threshold of the labor houses stood those who could no longer work on construction sites - homeless old people, women with children, disabled people - and asked to be taken off the streets. Some, of course, were taken: in each workhouse, approximately 25% of the inhabitants are those who cannot do heavy physical labor, but can cook food, manage the household, and keep order.

    « It always bothered us that we couldn’t take more - it would undermine the self-financing of the working house. With a constant feeling of guilt, I had to refuse the majority. If only you knew how hard it is to say “no” to a person when he asks for a chance to lead. normal life. And what does it feel like to refuse a mother and child!..- says Emilian. – And we decided to use the saved money to build a separate social house for them.».

    His assistant, one of the “veterans” of “Noah” Igor Petrov, believes that the organization of such a social home was a real miracle:

    « Just think: people not only get out of it themselves and begin a normal working life, but they can also afford to help those who are even worse off, completely helpless. This is a completely different feeling! There is a well-known prayer: “Lord, when I feel really bad, send me someone who’s even worse.” This is how we did it».

    And it really worked! In July 2014, two cottages with a garden plot that could accommodate 100 people were rented in the Moscow region. The guests did not keep themselves waiting - they found here a home, food, clothing and work that was feasible for everyone with a small salary.

    Here it’s time to be surprised: should they also pay a salary? Don't old people get a pension from the state? Yes, but they must at least have a passport and registration. Is it really not possible to place a lonely old man or a disabled person in a nursing home? Still possible, but only if he “wins a competition” out of 38 of the same, only with documents.

    According to Emilian, the capacity for social care in most regions of Russia is approximately 30 times less than the needs: it is good if funds are allocated for 30 homeless and elderly places for an entire region. The situation is the same with places for women with children, and with receiving child benefits.

    And in “Noah” there is a general rule: if a resident has not violated discipline for a month, a social worker helps him restore his passport, and after that, get the required insurance policies and begin applying for social benefits.

    In general, a lot happens in the social home; life is in full swing here. Lyuba is the mother of baby Olenka the other day received a marriage proposal from one of the residents of the shelter (by the way, over the years of the existence of “Noah” there were 16 weddings between its inhabitants).

    A nun with two children testifies to a radical change in thinking: before, she says, any problem plunged her into binge drinking; now, in “Noah”, she realized that “if God sends difficulties, then this is necessary for me, I must go through them,” and does not drink...

    

    Residents of the shelter

    Here, while undergoing rehabilitation after being released from prison, you can get a new specialty: the head of the social home, Alexey, set up a small farm (chickens, goats, several pigs), and Maxim learned the basics of rabbit breeding - now he knows how to get 6 times more from 28 rabbits donated to the shelter more offspring.

    An elderly nuclear engineer, Victor, is mastering the profession of accountant, but does not give up hope of returning to his main profession. Anatoly, a successful director in the past, runs a small artel for the production of cemetery wreaths - any work is welcome at the shelter, and Anatoly says with sad self-irony that his current position has helped him rethink a lot in life.

    To rethink, to reevaluate - life circumstances help with this, and, quite purposefully, Father Dimitri is a young priest who not only invites the residents of a social shelter to a church nearby, but also conducts catechetical conversations with them on a weekly basis.

    As the residents of the shelter admitted, the priest inspires trust and interest; he speaks so sincerely that it is difficult not to believe him. In addition, you can ask him any questions. In all the houses of “Noah” many become acquainted with the Gospel, with spiritual and church life for the first time, and are baptized.

    When you visit this forest “sanatorium” and talk with its inhabitants, you want to talk about it in the most enthusiastic terms. Moreover, the residents themselves say: “It’s just paradise here! If it weren’t for Noah, we wouldn’t be alive.” They have something to compare with: many of them suffered a lot on the street, and then they also visited organizations where the homeless are used as slaves and where else you try - break out...

    

    House of Diligence Noah

    A digression on organizations that deal with the homeless

    These organizations can be divided into 4 types:

    1. Charity : overnight shelters, tents and distribution points for food, clothing, medicine, vacancies, tickets home, etc. In these places, homeless people are provided with different kinds material and social assistance, while nothing is required from them themselves - they can continue to lead the lifestyle that is convenient for them. But most of them (90%) suffer from alcoholism and therefore can neither work independently, nor use the benefits received, nor restore their social way of life.

    Almost all jobs organized by philanthropists end in dismissal within the first month. Restoring documents does not help either - people on the streets simply lose them during their first drinking session. Tickets purchased home are handed over to the box office or remain unclaimed - rarely does anyone want to leave the capital. And it’s not at all surprising that “ side effect“This help is the increase in the number of parasites among the homeless.

    2. Rehabilitation centers (religious or secular) – organizations involved in the spiritual and physical rehabilitation of patients. Most often they have a religious origin and are supported by the money of believers.

    A problem with financial resources always exists: it is extremely difficult to find funds for the maintenance of the homeless, because family ties have long been lost, there are only a few philanthropists, and the state allocates subsidies, for example, for the rehabilitation of drug addicts, only on the basis of registration in a certain territory (and 95% of the Moscow homeless are visitors from other regions ). Therefore, there are very few such organizations working with the homeless - almost none.

    3. Social business organizations, existing on self-financing from money earned by homeless people from any kind of auxiliary work and using the labor of homeless people to make a profit. It turns out that with proper organization of living and work, people on the streets can earn money!

    These organizations are divided into: 1) “Voluntary slave-owning”, where the wards do not receive payment for their work, but work for food and accommodation. In such organizations, almost all income goes into the pockets of management. It is from them, as the inhabitants of “Noah” testified, that it is difficult to escape - cheap work force should not run away... 2) “work houses” - business projects that pay homeless people money for work and receive profit from this work - everything is like in a regular business.

    4. Socially oriented non-profit organization (NPO)- differs from others in that all the funds remaining after the payment of salaries to the homeless do not go into the pockets of the management, but for the statutory purposes of the organization, i.e. to work with the homeless. This type of NPO is so far represented only by the “Noah House of Labor” - there are no other community labor houses of this type in the Moscow region.

    ***

    Let's return to the social house "Noah". Previously, Emilian and his associates never promoted it - the organization’s own resources were enough to support it. But now they are ready to use every opportunity to shout with pain and hope in all media spaces: SOS! The crisis has hit the entire Noah economy, and the very existence of the social shelter is under threat.

    As already mentioned, the workhouse system is quite stable and self-sustaining - if there is work. And since January 2015 in Moscow and the region, due to known reasons, 58% of construction projects were curtailed. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find work, and workers are in summer period It’s getting smaller - traditionally, some of the homeless go on “vacation” and return to their previous way of life, because you won’t freeze to death on the street in the summer.

    Today there are about 100 empty beds in the Noah workhouses. The houses themselves are somehow still “breaking even,” says Emilian, but there is no money left for the maintenance of the old people’s orphanage home (which costs at least 800 thousand rubles a month). The collected one-time donations will hardly last until mid-summer. “The situation is critical,” says Emilian. He himself knocks on all doors, every Sunday he stands with a donation box at the early liturgy in the Church of St. Cosmas and Damian. Alas, the money has not yet been collected. He cannot imagine that the residents of the social home will have to be sent back to where they came from.

    “We won’t abandon them in any case,” says Alexey, the head of the social shelter. – What will we do if there is no money? I don't know, let's leave it to God. Now we live and rejoice and thank God. And people believe in Emilian’s authority.”

    

    Igor Petrov, who after meeting “Noah” and becoming a church member experienced more than one miracle in his life, also does not give up hope: “I believe that the Lord maintains a balance in the world: so that those who need and those who want to help will find each other".

    Popular wisdom says: “In a crisis there is no time for fat, if only I were alive.” Yes, today the most important thing for “Noah” is to preserve the social shelter. But if you ask Emilin about his plans, you will hear the incredible: “Father John of Kronstadt set the task of removing three-quarters of the homeless from the streets. We also want three-quarters of Moscow’s homeless to leave the streets and get a chance to lead a sober working life.”

    He also laments that he cannot take “heavier” people into the social shelter (after all, there are narrow steep stairs) and dreams of having the opportunity to care for wheelchair users and others who are completely infirm. I am sure that for them, too, the “Noahites” will come up with feasible work so that a person feels like a human being. Emilian says: “Ideally, we will be able to take anyone off the street who wants to change and is ready to not drink and work.”

    What is needed for this? From the state - almost nothing. On the contrary, the “Noah” model, if given a chance, would save the state a huge amount of money: according to Emilian, currently 44 thousand rubles are allocated for the maintenance of one homeless person in a state social institution. per month, and for the “Noahites”, even in a social shelter, 10 thousand is enough. And most importantly, conditions for work are not created in state shelters and, in fact, homelessness and dependency are only encouraged in this way. And “Noah” works himself and even supports the weak!

    But we still need something from the state: benefits for rental housing, social and legal support, and most importantly, help in providing jobs for people whose documents have not yet been restored. And Emilian also hopes for a government order for the residents of the social shelter - so that they sew bed linen and mittens, raise rabbits, etc. for a specific buyer. Here Emilian again remembers Father John of Kronstadt, at whose call the townspeople bought up everything that was produced in the House of Diligence.

    Usually non-profit organizations socially oriented complain about the imperfection of legislation. But in this case, the problem seems to be solved: on January 1, 2015, Federal Law 442 “On the Fundamentals” came into force social services citizens in Russian Federation”, which enables NPOs to become “suppliers social services"and count on government support. Without further delay, “Noah” submitted an application, but it was rejected. Apparently, some other social services seemed more worthy of government support.

    “Caring for the homeless is an area where the state and the Church could really work together. The number of homeless people will only grow if we do not support such initiatives, which already have a well-functioning structure for the socio-psychological rehabilitation of people in trouble. The main thing in “Noah” is that such people get the opportunity to live and work together as a community. This allows them to stay away from alcohol and not become an alcoholic.

    I believe that the path that Emilian and his team chose, following Fr. John of Kronstadt - the best. He needs to be supported by the whole world.", - calls on believers and non-believers the rector of the Church of St. Cosmas and Damian Archpriest Alexander Borisov, who blessed Emilian to create “Noah”.

    

    Archpriest Alexander Borisov

    “He’ll drink it all away anyway!”, “Let’s go to work!” – we say in our hearts when we see a homeless person with an outstretched hand. But so that these words are not an empty condemnation or a patch on our conscience, let us support the conditions for work and human life that have already been created in the Noah community houses.

    Help needed:

    With money: 35000 rub.
    Collected: 35,000 rub.

    Ongoing projects

    “Noah Workhouse” for the homeless

    “Kakpomoch.ru” asks to support the work of our colleague, Emelyan Sosinsky, wonderful person, whom we have known for a long time and with whom we collaborated on previous assistance projects. For the last four years, he has been helping and rehabilitating homeless people in the Moscow region. The scale of his activities is enormous! Alas, we are not able to help fundamentally, but we believe that we are able to bring at least some benefit to this noble cause, which, unfortunately, there are so few people willing to do. We are raising funds to buy a washing machine (from 7 kg) and a used freezer for the shelter. Approximate total cost = 35,000 rubles. If any amount remains unspent when purchasing goods, it will be transferred to Emelyan for other needs of the shelter and its inhabitants.
    Below is an excerpt from an article by Moskovsky Komsomolets about the work of the Noah shelter, the life and fate of its inhabitants.

    7 985 211 16 74 / This address Email protected from spam bots. You must have JavaScript enabled to view it.

    Muscovite Emelyan Sosinsky has been working with the homeless for many years. He is not an official, not an oligarch - a simple driving instructor, the father of three children. Neither social services nor the government help him. Only the Lord God and good people. Thousands of people passed through Emelyan and his workhouse “Noah” (that’s what he called his shelter): drunkards, drug addicts, former prisoners, fallen women. He collects them at train stations, one-day shelters, under fences and in entrances. It gives work and, most importantly, hope for human life.
    A year ago, he opened a social home for homeless people who cannot work and feed themselves: for mothers with babies, the elderly, the sick, the legless and the armless. There are now 70 such people under his care. They are fed and supported by the homeless themselves, only those who are able to work. As they say, saving drowning people is the work of the drowning people themselves. But the crisis has hit everyone, especially the most vulnerable. There are fewer and fewer jobs for his wards, construction is ongoing and there are no vacancies.

    
    It all started four years ago (although Sosinsky has been working as a volunteer working with the homeless for many years). Using donations, he rented a cottage in the Moscow region for two months and began housing homeless people there who were ready to change - stop drinking and go to work. Homeless people looked for work for themselves, mostly low-skilled - on construction sites, as auxiliary workers. 60% of earnings went to pay for housing and food, the rest was taken into account. The workhouse became self-sustaining within six months. Now there are nine such houses.
    “In Noah, we help everyone who has not violated discipline for a month to restore their passport,” Sosinsky’s assistant, Igor Petrov, tells me. - Well, for those who have been living normally for six months - working, not going on binges, not violating discipline - registration is issued. In Vladimir region philanthropists donated a house, you can register there.
    Igor himself was homeless not so long ago. He didn’t even know such words: “press release”, “PR”, “social networks”. His vocabulary included completely different words: “bubble” (a bottle of vodka), “three axes” (cheap port wine “777”), “clearing” (a place where homeless people constantly gather), “nishtyaki” (valuables found in a garbage dump). Traces of a difficult life will remain with him forever. The huge scar alone, crossing the entire head, from the eyebrows to the crown, is worth it.
    “I crashed my motorcycle,” he explains. - I don’t remember how, what, I was drunk. We were drinking somewhere in the Polezhaevka area, where all the bikers hang out. I asked for a ride, I don’t remember how I drove...
    For the last four years, the Noah workhouse has been his home. Igor is getting married soon - his bride is from St. Petersburg, the other day he is going to meet her parents. She is a person from another life, who has nothing to do with the homeless and alcohol.
    - How did I become homeless? Yes, like everyone else. At 21, he came to Moscow from the Tyumen region to work; his father helped me get a construction job. I quickly became a foreman, money started coming in, so I started working in taverns. I drank myself to death very quickly, and not a year had passed. I was kicked out of work and lost my documents. He quickly joined the company of homeless people who cluster on the Arbat. You work during the day - or in the parking lot, or beg at the church - and have a drink. Well, there have never been any problems with food; excellent food is thrown into restaurant trash heaps. At the “Peking Duck” they brought out the hot bird directly, but for the dish only white meat is needed, and the rest goes to waste. Yes, we ate caviar and other delicacies. We slept in the entrance where the offices were. Opening a combination lock when employees have gone home is not a problem at all.
    - So the beggars who ask for alms for food or for the way home are lying?
    - Well, maybe not all, but the majority. In 90% of cases, if you give money, know that it goes exclusively to vodka. And all these pity stories are nonsense. Yes, I’ve become so skilled over the years that I can already read by their faces who needs to be told what story in order to be given money. Getting money for a ticket home or for food is a matter of one day. But why go there if life is already good in a drunken stupor? Alcoholism is the main problem.
    One day Igor came to eat at the temple of Cosmas and Damian, which is in the very center. There I saw Emelyan for the first time.
    - I had lived in different centers for homeless people before. But he always went back to the street. Because there is deception everywhere. Some people act like this: you work, and for this you only get food and shelter and are treated like the scum of society. Or others: you can stay there for a short period of time - a month or two, but they don’t give you any work, they don’t restore your documents. So, you can get hold of some food and some clothes. I remember you are waiting for the end of this period like manna from heaven: you would rather be free to get drunk again. I am not allowed into government shelters or social centers. They are only for former Muscovites. But 95% of all homeless people on the city streets are newcomers. Once I even went to prison on purpose. I was tired of drinking, I wanted to wash myself and sleep, especially since winter was starting. I planned everything specially - I went to a sports store, dressed for 5,000 rubles and went out. When everything started beeping, I stood up and calmly waited for security. They tied me up and took me to the cops. In the end, they gave me three months, and I served time in Butyrka. And in the spring he returned to Arbat again.

    
    - How does it work for you?
    - Everything is somehow fair here. When you work, you get paid at the end of the week, initially 40% of your earnings. For those who have proven themselves a long time ago, it’s already 60%, if six months. And 70% - if a year. You can also go for a promotion, become a senior worker in a work house. (These are houses or apartments that Emelyan rented out and where former homeless people live. - MK) If you get drunk, inject yourself, they kick you out for three days. Come sober, but you will be fined for a month - no salary. And all these fines are not in the pocket of anyone there, but for this social house, for example. To help others. That is, the homeless themselves feed the homeless, you understand? Is there anything like this somewhere in Russia or in the world? I did not hear. Emelyan came up with this idea. That year, he gathered all the labor leaders home, former homeless people like me, and said: “We have collected a decent amount in reserve. I kept thinking about how to use it profitably. Let’s open a social home and accommodate everyone who can no longer work on their own.” Well, we agreed immediately. The house was filled instantly. Mothers with children, old people, and the sick flocked to us. In winter there were 100 people. But we didn’t expect that the money we had put aside would run out so quickly.
    Each homeless person in a social house costs 10,000 rubles a month. The lion's share of expenses is for renting the building itself and paying for utilities (imported gas + electricity). All the work - cleaning, washing, cooking - is done by the residents themselves. Plus they do simple, home-based work.
    “We’ve done it before,” Igor sighs. - We made funeral wreaths, knitted socks, sewed bed linen. Right now there are no orders at all. And we really need them.

    
    I saw Emelyan himself only in the evening in the labor house on Sushchevsky Val. A tired man, very simply dressed, driving a modest old car.
    - Tell me, why do you need all this? It’s okay with the working contingent, and now there’s also a social house... Three children of their own.
    - Oh, my wife always tells me that I will burn in hell for my family. Because I devote much less time to children than to my wards. Now my wife has softened a little, because I stopped spending my salary on the homeless. In the meantime, I was a volunteer, until I organized Noah, so half of the family money went to charity. What for? I don’t know... I succeed in this business, I manage to help people, and through them I can save my soul. I am a church person and I believe that God gave me this skill for a reason. That's what I do.
    When asked about the social home, Yemelyan sighs heavily.
    “I didn’t even imagine that it would be so hard.” January and February are always difficult months because there is no work. I know that in order to get out of winter unemployment, you need to have 2 million in reserve and move on. And here we have a certain reserve - large sum in addition to these two million. So they decided to open a social home for the elderly, women and the disabled. But it never occurred to anyone what this would lead to. Firstly, the crisis hit and completely knocked us off our feet. If in March we usually accumulated profit, then this year we barely even broke even by May. The social house, as you already understood, is supported by 9 labor. It costs a million rubles a month. This turned out to be unaffordable money for us. We save on everything - we don’t pay bonuses, we temporarily refused to repair work houses, etc. What will happen next is scary to think about.
    - Does the state help?
    - No. They tried to get a grant several times - to no avail. I am very grateful to the police and the Federal Migration Service that they have recently stopped actively trying to imprison me. Of course, there is no help from them, but now there is no harm. And this is already a huge benefit.
    - Are there any most pressing needs? Spicy.
    - Men's shoes and clothing are always very necessary. While they are earning money, they have to climb into the trench in their only shoes and dig. Diapers, baby food, medicines, medical help. Since the end of April, we have refused to use doctors in order to save money, and before that, a therapist came to each house once a week. And there were no flu epidemics or other troubles. Now one benefactor gave money specifically to pay for the doctor, for two months, with the condition of visiting once every two weeks. Another fund promised to buy medicines worth 100,000 rubles. Usually we spent 150, but at least this way. More lawyers are needed. There is one that directly repels attacks on the organization. But each resident has a lot of legal questions - to restore housing rights, register for disability, pension, benefits. Well, and a number of other narrow specialists - a catechist, for example, who would conduct spiritual conversations, an anti-alcohol therapist, and so on. I can list for a long time.
    Emelyan is not discouraged and plans to continue expanding. He has already agreed with the leadership of the Federal Penitentiary Service that prisoners preparing for release will be told about labor houses. We also agreed with the railway workers to have information posters hanging at all stations. Continues to travel to free church dinners and overnight shelters.
    - We'll cope with God's help.
    Dina Karpitskaya