A businessman in the city of Khabarovsk in Russia’s Far East has reportedly donated several buses to serve as temporary shelters for homeless people after efforts to raise money for a previously burned shelter failed.
Yuri Vasilyev, the CEO of a local bus touring company, said that when the home shelter organization Prosperity contacted him for help, he decided to give away a number of his old buses.
“Usually we deconstruct the old buses and use some of their parts for new cars. But when... they came to us, we decided to help. Hopefully we can give a few more buses to the homeless,” he told the Vesti Region news website.
Ivan Mankovski, the head of the Prosperity charity, told local media that the first bus had been equipped with 10 beds as well as a bathroom and heating and was “ready to take on guests for the winter.”
“We had this unconventional idea: To use these buses as shelters. The buses will also act as sanitary stations...and eating points,” he added.
Last May, a homeless shelter run by the NGO burned down, and Prosperity was unable to raise the 1.2 million rubles ($18,300) needed to rebuild it.
Elena, one of the first inhabitants of the buses told local media that she “wanted to express her thanks to all those who had cared for us.”
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