House of Mercy Kyiv

23/05/2026

23/05/2026

We visited the Comprehensive Care Centre for Homeless People for the first time in 2026. Dozens of homeless people have found shelter at this facility, some of whom were referred there after a temporary stay at the House of Mercy Kyiv. So, this was mainly a reunion with old acquaintances.
We would like to thank the director and staff of the Centre for their hospitality!
Together with friends from the New Life Church, New Life Church Kyiv organised a concert for those who wished to attend and presented food parcels. And with the support of the Ukraine For Christ mission, the staff of the Centre also received gifts.

, #ДімМилосердяКиїв, .
You can support the work of House of Mercy Kyiv:
Privatbank card (hrn) 5169 3351 0466 1869
Mono (Euro) 4441111099383105
Mono (USD) 4441111089147346
(Igor Shemigon

23/05/2026

Oleksandr Khaliman, was born in 1961. He is originally from the Sumy region, but has lived almost his entire life in Kyiv, on the Left Bank. His mother died in giving birth to him. His father remarried. Oleksandr had a sister and a brother. He completed eight years of schooling. He worked as a cook’s assistant at the ‘Khimvolokno’ factory for two years. He served in the army, and after leaving the army he worked as a driver. In 1986, he began cohabiting with a woman he had known since school. They were not officially married. She had a daughter at that time. They had no children together. They lived initially at her place, then rented a flat in Troieshchyna. They lived together like that for 40 years. In recent years, Oleksandr worked as a taxi driver, renting cars. His daughter’s personal life didn’t work out; she became pregnant and moved in with her mother.
In his own words: he started getting in the way, domestic conflicts began, and in March he had to leave. At first, he slept in his car. One day, he had a drink and got behind the wheel. He was arrested and had his driving licence revoked. Oleksandr found himself without a job or a place to live. He turned to us for help. He plans to find work that suits his abilities. He says his health isn’t what it used to be, so he can’t handle much.

, #ДімМилосердяКиїв, .
You can support the work of House of Mercy Kyiv:
Privatbank card (hrn) 5169 3351 0466 1869
Mono (Euro) 4441111099383105
Mono (USD) 4441111089147346
(Igor Shemigon

09/05/2026

Natalia Tsiba was born in 1981 in Nizhyn. Her father died when she was 13. So, after finishing 9th grade, she attended a vocational school to train as a seamstress. After completing her internship, she went to work at a canning factory. In 2003, her mother died of cancer. Her parents’ apartment had not been privatized, so Natalia sold it and bought a one-room apartment. She got married in 2005. She and her husband, Oleg, lived first in Natalia’s apartment, then moved to his place in the Lviv region, and later to Makariv to work at a forestry office. She says that Oleg stole tools; when they were caught, he asked Natalia to take the blame because he already had a criminal record. Natalia was in prison for three months. When she was released, Oleg had already found someone else. For a long time, Natalia worked as a janitor in Kyiv, where she also lived in a utility room. At this point in the interview, she doesn’t speak clearly or openly; there are chronological inaccuracies and “gaps.” From the conversation, we learn that she allegedly transferred the apartment in Nizhyn to her niece. Her only relatives are cousins, but she has no contact with any of them. She admits that she has been abusing alcohol heavily for a long time. But now, she says, she doesn’t want to do that anymore; she wants to live. Due to her alcoholism, she has serious health problems. We hope we can help her turn her life around.

, #ДімМилосердяКиїв, .
You can support the work of House of Mercy Kyiv:
Privatbank card (hrn) 5169 3351 0466 1869
Mono (Euro) 4441111099383105
Mono (USD) 4441111089147346
(Igor Shemigon) See less

30/04/2026

Ihor Shtelmakh was born in 197 # in the village of Shchaslyve, Kyiv Oblast. He attended school but did not finish. His parents divorced, and his mother could not support two children on her own, so after seven years of school, Igor went to work as a fitter at a factory. Igor grew up early. At the age of 17, he got married and had a son. They lived in his parents’ flat in Proliski with his mother and sister. Following the birth of his son, Igor initially switched to a more physically demanding job, and within a few years had become a supervisor. He recounts that, in collusion with the director and the deputy director, they carried out a cargo scam. When the scheme was exposed, Igor was sentenced to 2.5 years in a strict regime prison. He was already divorced by the time he was released. But he says he maintained his relationship with his family. Later, they swapped the flat in Proliski for a house in Tarasivka, where they lived with his mother and sister. Igor worked, and eventually got married again. Another son was born. But the relationship with his second family didn’t last either. Later, Ihor had two more convictions. His sister used drugs and died young. Ihor’s mother also died shortly afterwards. Ihor initially lived alone in the house. Two years ago, due to power surges, the old wiring failed and the house burned down. Ihor worked on farms in the Kharkiv region. Until he suffered a spinal injury. He returned to Tarasivka, where he stayed temporarily with friends, then spent time in hospitals. Finally, he ended up in a rehabilitation centre, from where he was referred to us. The man can barely move and requires an expensive operation. His future remains uncertain for now.

, #ДімМилосердяКиїв, .
You can support the work of House of Mercy Kyiv:
Privatbank card (hrn) 5169 3351 0466 1869
Mono (Euro) 4441111099383105
Mono (USD) 4441111089147346
(Igor Shemigon)

16/04/2026

Ihor Starchenko, aged 35. Born in the village of Snizhky, Kyiv Oblast. His parents died in tragic circumstances when he was a child, and his older sister, who was living in Bila Tserkva at the time, took him into her care. After finishing school, he trained as an electrician at a vocational college. He lived in a hall of residence. He then worked at a factory in Bila Tserkva, and later on a building site in Kyiv. He did not serve in the army. He got married and lived with his wife in Berezan. They had a son. They divorced due to alcohol abuse and infidelity. He returned to Kyiv. He lived in hostels or in a site hut on a building site. He worked as a tiler. He gradually drank himself into a state of dependency. In March 2025, he was involved in a road traffic accident and was hit by a car. He was taken by ambulance to Feofaniya Hospital. He suffered multiple fractures of the pelvis and lower limb. He was treated and his leg was operated on, but there was nowhere to discharge Igor to. The doctors found the contact details of a rehabilitation centre in the Obukhiv district, where they took Igor. A few months later, he was admitted with acute urinary retention. Examination revealed a urethral stricture; a cystostomy was performed and a catheter inserted. At the rehabilitation centre, Igor was helped to apply for disability status, which means he is now eligible for elective surgery to restore urethral patency. However, Igor was refused further stay at the rehabilitation centre due to a condition that has accompanied him throughout his adult life. He therefore returned to Kyiv, where acquaintances from his former job took him in. He approached us himself with a request for help. We see every chance of him returning to an independent life, provided he does not repeat the mistakes of the past.

, #ДімМилосердяКиїв, .
You can support the work of House of Mercy Kyiv:
Privatbank card (hrn) 5169 3351 0466 1869
Mono (Euro) 4441111099383105
Mono (USD) 4441111089147346
(Igor Shemigon)