The «Vidnovlennia» Social Rehabilitation Centre in Mykolaiv plans to set up an inclusive wing with a further 50 places

The «Vidnovlennia» Social Rehabilitation Centre in Mykolaiv. Photo: NikVesti

The Mykolaiv Social Rehabilitation Centre «Vidnovlennia» is currently providing shelter to 120 people. Half of them are people with disabilities. To expand the centre’s capacity, there are plans to renovate another building and make it fully inclusive.

This is discussed in an article by NikVesti: «From a shelter for people with disabilities and internally displaced persons to a social community: how the «Vidnovlennia» centre in Mykolaiv works».

Volodymyr Tymoshenko, director of the «Vidnovlennia» centre, noted that 120 people are currently living at the centre.

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«As of now, there are 120 people at the centre. Half of them are people with disabilities, elderly people and IDPs. Around 40 of the 120 are women,» said the centre’s director, Volodymyr Tymoshenko.

He noted that many people with disabilities end up staying at the centre for the rest of their lives, as there are no other places for them. This is a widespread problem in the city:

«If someone has a disability or is elderly, we also try to find a better place for them, such as a geriatric centre or a centre for people with disabilities. But recently, this has become very difficult, practically impossible. After all, for a city of half a million people in Mykolaiv, we have only 50 beds in the geriatric centre. That is very few. And there is practically nowhere to refer people with disabilities either,» said the centre’s director.

At present, there is a single-storey building next to the centre’s main block, which is currently unoccupied. They plan to make it fully accessible.

«We want to carry out renovations in the building, which will add another 50 places. For bedridden people, those in the most severe condition. A great many people are phoning; the need is huge. But I ask, where can we put them all? We had the ground floor built for IDPs using a grant. But people are phoning in — they have disabilities but aren’t IDPs. They have problems too. You can’t accommodate them on the first floor,» noted the centre’s director.

Volodymyr Tymoshenko, director of the centre. Photo: NikVesti

There are plans to make the building inclusive. Photo: NikVesti

Overall, the centre has big plans — to build a social community.

«Essentially, on the «Vidnovlennia» site, we’re building not just a refuge, not just a shelter, but a sort of social community where all sorts of people will receive support. There will be around 300 of them. In other words, it’s a sort of small village where people will help one another,» explained the director of «Vidnovlennia».

Read also the article by NikVesti: «Autism spectrum disorders: how children in Mykolaiv are helped to adapt and develop».