Archpriest Michael Potokin sat down with the founder of the St John's House of Hope for homeless people and addicts in New York, for discussion.

The meeting addressed issues related to helping homeless people and those suffering from addiction.

A working meeting was held between the chairman of the Synodal Department for Charity, Archpriest Mikhail Potokin, and the founder of the House of Labour in the name of St. John of Kronstadt in New York, Vadim Arefiev.

During the meeting, Vadim Arefiev spoke about the activities of the House of Hard Work, helping homeless and addicted people in New York. He also shared stories of people who live in the shelter.

The House of Hope, named after St. John of Kronstadt, takes in homeless people who, after completing a special programme to overcome alcohol and drug addiction, return to a full life.

The project has been implemented with the support of the St. John Give Hope Foundation since 2017. The foundation works closely with the Patriarchal parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in the United States. The foundation staff helps compatriots who find themselves in difficult life situations abroad.

In 2018, a chapel in honour of St. John of Kronstadt was built inside the House of Labour, and later became the in-house church. Priests from neighbouring parishes come to celebrate the Divine Liturgy, and residents can confess and receive communion.

Several times a week, volunteers go to the streets where homeless people gather and distribute hot meals, clothing and shoes, providing targeted assistance to the homeless. Upon request, the shelter's staff picks them up and hospitalises for detoxification. The homeless are then offered services in special centres for rehabilitation. After that, they come to the House of Hope and stay there until the full recovery.

The period of stay in the shelter ranges from 2-3 months to 1 year. The House of Hope can accommodate 13 people. About 40% of them eventually achieve freedom from addiction. Over the past 10 years, 40 people have returned to a full life. Some of the homeless people who sought help were assisted in restoring their documents and returning to their homeland.