Consultations of lawyers and psychologists: a Center for Helping Survivors was opened in Kropyvnytskyi

In Kropyvnytskyi, a Center for Assistance to Survivors has been opened. This center provides free and anonymous support to people who have left conflict zones and local residents.

The center's coordinator, Alexander Kryshko, explained that they offer legal, psychological, and social assistance to women, men, and children.

The Center for Assistance to Survivors has been operating in a test mode since April 1 of this year. Depending on the situation, they can serve from 5 to 7 people at a time. The center's psychologists work with both adults and children.

The primary needs of most people are humanitarian and material assistance. The center assesses how they can help individuals and redirects them to relevant governmental, municipal institutions, or other organizations. Material assistance is not provided by the center.

Over the course of one and a half months, around 50 people have sought psychological assistance. These requests covered a wide range of issues, including job loss, issues related to domestic violence, sexual violence, everyday concerns, and those linked to the full-scale Russian invasion. For instance, they include displaced persons who experienced occupation, went through filtration camps, and lost their family members during their departure from occupied territories.

While basic psychological assistance is available to everyone, long-term psychological support, as well as support for individuals who have experienced sexual violence, is also offered. Each client receives individual counseling.

Twenty-three individuals have sought legal assistance. Their issues pertain to obtaining the status of internally displaced persons, recovering lost documents, determining the fact of death in temporarily occupied territories, and the inheritance procedure.

This is the eleventh center of its kind in Ukraine. The Kropyvnytskyi center was established because Kirovohrad Oblast has accommodated many internally displaced persons. Currently, there are 85,000 of them in the region.

The center will be funded by the United Nations Population Fund for as long as the need persists. It operates from Monday to Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:15 PM. The center's address is Prozoryi Office, 41/26 Architect Pauchenka Street. Visitors were not allowed during the opening of the center.