“Taking care of others is a holy work.” The Mayor of Kazan visits “Human Shelter”

This year, the Human Shelter project, which is being implemented by Good Kazan, marks its five years’ anniversary. During this time, more than 1.4 million meals were distributed and over 47 thousand people were provided with night’s lodging. Currently, reconstruction is underway at the main site of the project – old trailers are being replaced with more comfortable ones. After the renovation, the capacity of the shelter will increase. The site was visited by the Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin, he talked with the founder of the project and the director of the Center for Social Rehabilitation and Adaptation Azat Gainutdinov.

“When you have a kind heart, time, strength and power to take care of others, it's really a holy work. I want to say the works of gratitude for your work, I wish that it will come back to you a hundredfold. It's a hard work to gather and convince people to help you. Thank you for finding the strength to help others,”- the Mayor said.

Human Shelter was founded in 2017 when they began the distribution of meals in a mobile food point, and a year later the first stationary pavilion opened. Currently, there are nine food distribution points in Tatarstan, six of them are located in Kazan on Burkhan Shahidi str., 26, p. 1, Gudovantsev str., 6, Simonov str., 3, Lipatov str., 6b, Avangardnaya str., 95, Fuchika str., 52.

The first pavilion located on Burhana Shahidi Street. “Its location was not chosen by chance – a large number of homeless people gathered between the railway station and the farm market,”- explained the founder of the project, Azat Gainutdinov. He added that 15 KAMAZ trucks of garbage were removed from the site before the opening. Today there are 21 trailers on the territory – this is not only a food distribution point, but also residential buildings, a laundry, a sauna, a pavilion for distributing clothes, a barber shop, a consultation room and others. Also, cars for social patrol are based here, greenhouses with a mini-vegetable garden, a sports ground, a prayer room are organized.

Homeless people, the poor, retired people and residents with disabilities visit this point. Here they can get food, clothes, and a bed – residential trailers can accommodate 40 people, help to restore documents, issue pensions and allowances, make an appointment with doctors. Meetings with lawyers and psychologists are also held at the point. If necessary, they help with employment.

At the moment, the point is under renovation – living conditions in the new trailers will be better, and the capacity of the shelter will increase. The wards also participate in the reconstruction – they collect the foundations for the beds and paint them – this is a kind of occupational therapy.

Other points provide for meals distribution only– residents of the republic receive about 2 thousand meals per day, about 60 thousand per month, which is comparable to the nutrition of residents of a small town. Up to 300 meals are delivered to each of the pavilions daily, and it is prepared in city cafes.

“Pensioners also come to us, because it is already difficult for some to cook on their own due to age, others do not have enough pensions, because children or grandchildren have signed up loans for them – there are different cases,”- Azat Gainutdinov shared.

The project managers plan to open food distribution points in all districts of Tatarstan and give out 10 thousand meals per day. Ilsur Metshin interested what is needed to open new points. The founder of “Human Shelter” requested to allocate land.

To work with former conflicts, Azat Gainutdinov opened a Center for social rehabilitation and adaptation. Its employees help the wards to start a new life and to rehabilitate.