Introduction
This research is dedicated to the city of St. Petersburg, located in Russia. The problem under consideration concerns the number of homeless people living on the streets of the second-largest city in Russia. There are about 60,000 homeless people in St. Petersburg; for a town with a population of 5.39 million people, this is a relatively large number. The work aims to propose effective solutions to the problem of homeless people in St. Petersburg.
General Overview and Rationale
The homeless in Russia are a part of Russian society, characterized by the absence of a permanent home or living in places not intended for living. However, homelessness is a more complex social and public health phenomenon than the actual lack of a place to live (Mabhala et al., 2017). Social institutions of St. Petersburg provide quite a variety of assistance, but the number of homeless people is not decreasing; therefore, this problem remains severe and requires further deep research.
The “Nochlezhka” is a non-governmental charitable organization founded in 1990 and still exists today, assisting the homeless. This organization implements many humanitarian projects sponsored mainly by donations from individuals and large companies. According to the information from the official website of the organization, there are currently thirteen such projects. The shelter provides homeless people with food, counseling, and other necessities. Rather than creating a similar project to help the homeless, this project focuses on helping to spread awareness about “Nochlezhka.”
In particular, a campaign is proposed to disseminate announcements about the organization’s activities throughout the city, especially on the central streets. Furthermore, it is suggested to attract volunteers who can visit St. Petersburg residents’ homes and tell about the mission of “Nochlezhka” and about ways to help people in difficult life situations. It is also planned to carry out the procurement of goods needed by homeless people, again with the help of volunteers. The intended results of the project’s activities are to increase the awareness of the residents of St. Petersburg about the problem of the homeless and improve their living conditions by purchasing food and goods necessary for life. The duration of the campaign will be about two weeks. The alleged participants of the project are volunteers of St. Petersburg and project coordinators.
Region Relevance
St. Petersburg is located in the Northwestern Federal District; this city is the center of this district. Most of the Northwestern Federal District is located in the European north. The climate is temperate and subarctic; the air is highly humid. The district’s territory is predominantly flat, situated in mixed forests, taiga, forest-tundra, and tundra. About 50% of the forest resources of the European part of Russia are concentrated in the district. The largest cities in the Northwestern Federal District are St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Vologda, etc.
Not all cities of the Northwestern Federal District, despite the existence of the problem of homelessness, have charitable aid organizations. It was possible to find information that the regional charitable public organization “Ulitsa” exists in Murmansk. The Arkhangelsk Regional Public Charitable Organization is called “Doroga zhizni.” Its mission is to prevent crime and homelessness and improve people’s lives in socially dangerous situations. In other cities of the region, except for St. Petersburg and the towns mentioned above, organizations to help the homeless exist mainly as volunteer teams without any organizational structure. There is a lack of organized branches capable of radically changing the current state of affairs regarding persons without a definite place of residence. In addition, there are no methods of communication between organizations located in different cities, which complicates the process of sharing positive experiences in solving this problem.
Location Relevance
St. Petersburg is considered the second capital of Russia, the country’s metropolis. The problem of homelessness is not unique to the region, but it is in St. Petersburg that homelessness rates are exceptionally high. St. Petersburg is a central transport hub in the country; it has a broad range of external relations. Accordingly, the criminal rate and the total number of homeless people in the city depend on whether the city authorities ensure the safety of residents and visitors of St. Petersburg.
Place Relevance
A significant role in the economy is played by the tourism business associated with visitors from Russia and foreign countries and the associated economic activity in the service sector. It is one of the most important tourism centers in the country. However, tourists who come to the city risk becoming victims of robbers. Many young people from distant cities in Russia move to St. Petersburg after they graduate school. Such young people can also easily find themselves without means of living. Some researchers mention the lack of education and the use of drugs and alcohol as the main reasons for homelessness (Alowaimer., 2018). Homelessness itself as a social phenomenon can provoke the commission of crimes by homeless people (Burton et al., 2018). The homeless population is at a significantly increased risk of becoming a victim of crime (Nielsen et al., 2020). Thus, the problem of homelessness requires an urgent solution.
Movement Relevance
During the implementation of the project, it is planned to move goods and people. The transportation will be done by renting several vehicles with drivers upon arrival. In St. Petersburg, the roads are in good condition, so there will be no problems moving around the city. Moreover, there will be no problems when distributing brochures because the population has all the necessary skills to read materials.
Human-Environmental Interaction Relevance
The problem with homeless people is especially acute during the winter. It is important to mention that homelessness is associated with a fivefold increase in the likelihood of death (Stenius-Ayoade et al., 2017). In addition to the risk of dying from hunger, there is a risk of dying from the cold. From the end of November to the end of March, it is freezing in St. Petersburg. February is considered the coldest month, with an average temperature of -6 ° C (21.5 ° F). The harsh temperature conditions in winter are associated with the area where St. Petersburg was founded, but not with the activities of the people.
Budget
The approximate budget of the planned campaign is presented in the table (Table 1). After the project is implemented, one should fill in the fields with the resulting difference between the scheduled amount of costs and the resulting one. In addition, a column has been created specifically for possible comments on the cost of specific components of the project. The approximate cost of the two-week project is $ 16,500.
Table 1. Project Budget
Summary
Thus, the project that was created involves the dissemination of information about the problem of homelessness in St. Petersburg. In addition, it is planned to create volunteer groups informing residents about the activities of the “Nochlezhka.” Furthermore, to solve the problem of low availability of resources and food products, the project’s participants will carry out a purchase in the city’s hypermarkets.
References
Alowaimer, O. (2018). Causes, Effects and Issues of Homeless People.Journal of Socialomics, 7(3), 1-4. Web.
Burton, B., Pollio, D. E., & North, C. S. (2018). A longitudinal study of housing status and crime in a homeless population. Annals of clinical psychiatry: official journal of the American Academy of Clinical Psychiatrists, 30(4), 280–288.
Mabhala, M.A., Yohannes, A. & Griffith, M. (2017). Social conditions of becoming homelessness: qualitative analysis of life stories of homeless peoples.International Journal for Equity in Health, 16, 150. Web.
Nielsen, S., Nordentoft, M., Fazel, S., & Laursen, T. (2020). Homelessness and police-recorded crime victimisation: a nationwide, register-based cohort study. The Lancet Public Health, 5(6), E333-E341. Web.
Stenius-Ayoade, A., Haaramo, P., Kautiainen, H., Gissler, M., Wahlbeck, K., & Eriksson, J. (2017) Mortality and causes of death among homeless in Finland: A 10-year follow-up study.Journal of epidemiology and community health, 71, 841-848. Web.