"Everyone has their own head on their shoulders and chooses their own path. As a person walks it, so will their life," says Oleksiy, a former resident of the Adaptation Center for the Homeless and Released from Prisons of the Light of Hope NGO.
When he was asked in prison before his release: "Are you expected again soon?", he firmly replied that he would not return.
"I would rather eat only bread and salt, but in freedom," says the 48-year-old man.
Therefore, after serving his sentence, he had a plan. First, he resolved the housing issue — he settled in the Adaptation Center. And immediately began looking for a job:
"I work as a security guard. Social workers helped me find a job. They also explained how to make a declaration with a family doctor, where to get tested, and much more."
Now Oleksiy has already moved to rented accommodation. However, he visits the Adaptation Center to help when needed:
It can be very difficult. And, perhaps, I will have to come back here. Besides, it is not difficult for me, I know how to work with my hands. And the time will fly by faster in work than if I spend it aimlessly.”
The man's hobby is wood carving. He makes hairpins, boxes, and mirror frames. His life plan consists of many points that he fulfills gradually.
"Alexey has a sister in Kremenchuk. They haven't communicated for some time. We talked about it for a long time with him, analyzed it. As a result, he reconciled with his relative. They communicate, he visits her," said Anna Lebedeva, a social worker at the Adaptation Center.
Originally from Crimea, he was forced to leave there in 2015. He lived in different parts of the country. But Poltava is one of his favorite cities. Therefore, he continues to plan his future here.
The Center's activities are carried out with the support of the program of social security and social protection of the population of the Poltava urban territorial community "Turbota".
