Regaining stability and strength in HIA’s Budapest shelter
Hailing from occupied Donbas and constantly attacked Odesa Anastasiia and her husband Arkadii fled Ukraine and settled in Budapest in September 2022. After Arkadii – an engineer by profession – lost his job, he and his wife realised they could not afford renting their previous flat. Looking for a way to solve the financial crisis, Hungarian Interchurch Aid offered them a place to stay in a Salvation Army’s refugee shelter located in the outskirts of Budapest. Their goals are simple: save up some money while living in the shelter, study hard and find a good job that enables them to rent their own flat.
We did not know anyone before coming here. But we were able to build a group of friends, people we can rely on should we run into problems. Mostly from the former CIS
– says Arkadii. And while they certainly helped with a lot of things, a quick turn of events presented them with a situation they were unprepared for, one that even best friends could not solve.
On the surface, everything was alright, until I eventually lost the job and thus lost the financial basis to support the two of us. So we had to look for other options and jobs.
They asked many organisations for help, and even pondered returning to Ukraine despite the war. In the end, they dismissed the idea:
For family reasons we are not be able to move back into our home
– says Anastasia. In the end it was the cooperation of Salvation Army (SA) and Hungarian Interchurch Aid (HIA) that was able to present a solution to them. In February 2024, HIA’s Support Centre for Ukrainian Refugees offered them to move into SA’s shelter, which they happily accepted. Husband and wife now live in a small flat inside the shelter complex: the living room is equipped with bed and a small kitchen, and they also have a private restroom. Over the months, a tightly-knit community was born in the shelter, in which the couple and the 11 other resident refugees actively try to help each other out. They also receive in-kind food aid from HIA, which helps them in their everyday life.
Anastasia is more than content, even seeing possible challenges as opportunities to grow further.
Our room is small, but it’s all very positive – also for our relationship! It’s summer, the birds are chirping, it’s just the right vibe for my mental health. Right now, being here helps us to regain stability both mentally and financially
Arkadii agrees with his wife, too.
It’s tranquil and comfortable, yet still inside the capital city Budapest. This little flat is wonderful and very modern -we’ve seen so many worse places for rent that cost more than we’d be able to pay.
According to Robert -an HIA social worker helping them – they’re on the right path now. As expected, the stable environment has had a good effect on their overall situation. Arkadii has had some promising interviews lately, while Anastasia does not shy away from cleaning to put food on the table. They started learning English, attend psychological group sessions and focus on regaining their strength.
For that, finding a good job is essential, and a good command of English is necessary for any good job. Here we can focus on all of that – thank you for supporting us to get back on our feet!
– says Arkadii with a hopeful smile.
