This is the first House of supported accommodation for youth with mental and complex disorders in the Stryi community and in the Caritas of Ukraine network.
Now we have three such Houses. They became a Home for 20 boys and girls aged 18 to 45, both local and internally displaced. 10 social workers and 10 assistants are involved in the operation, helping friends to make their daily lives more comfortable, teaching those skills that each of them needs most. In addition, a psychologist and a supervisor work here.
The assisted living facility has become a space where young people socialize, acquire and improve self-care skills, discover new talents and simply enjoy life. The day of the friends living in the “House” is the same as everyone else’s: the morning begins with breakfast and personal hygiene. Then the participants visit the Center for youth with disabilities, which operates under Caritas Stryi. After that, they have lunch, rest, and are also happy to join the meetings held by the psychologist at the House of Supported Living.
One of the beneficiaries of the House of Supported Living is 21-year-old Nazar. The boy was born in Lviv Oblast. His mother died when he was a child, the fate of his father is unknown. Since childhood, he was brought up in boarding schools, first in Chervonograd, then in Livchytsy. When the boy studied at the Stryi Higher Vocational School, he started visiting the Center for Youth with Disabilities, which operates under the Caritas Stryi. Nazar is cheerful, sincere and very lively. Usually, when you talk to him, he smiles. Despite his difficult fate, he is a surprisingly cheerful person. When the boy finished his studies, the question of his further residence arose. The directorate and his mentor at the school, in cooperation with Caritas, searched for a long time for a place where he could live with dignity, but, unfortunately, nothing could be found.
“God heard our prayers and helped to give Nazar a home. And not only him, – says Oksana Ilkiv, coordinator of the Supported Living project in Stryi. – When we started implementing this project, we were scared. Then I opened the book of St. Faustina and read the following words: “What are you afraid of? Do you think that my grace is not enough for you to help you?” It is not really our merit, but an act of God. We are happy, because our friends are truly the greatest treasure, who help us to be human and to discover God’s world,” says Oksana with a smile.
The functioning of the House of Supported Living in Stryi was made possible by the support of MH4U by the support of MH4U (Mental Health for Ukraine) and the Embassy of Switzerland in Ukraine. The project is designed to strengthen the health care system to support the reform of the mental health care system in Ukraine, improving the quality and access to care and psychosocial support for people with mental health disorders in Ukraine.
The first House of Supported Living in Stryi was consecrated by Bishop Bohdan Manyshyn in August 2023. On this occasion, the President of Caritas of Ukraine Tetyana Stavnycha visited Stryi. In her speech noted that the direction of work with young people with disabilities in Caritas Stryi is a kind of life-giving cornerstone, community, love and development! “May this life continue to flourish, the community grows, love multiplies, and development takes on new dimensions,” the President wished.