A new veterans' space opened in Novi Petrivtsi

A new veterans' space has opened in Novi Petrivtsi of the Petrivska community — already the 22-th in the Kyiv region.

This was reported to KV in a post on Facebook by acting chair of the Kyiv Regional Council Yaroslav Dobryanskyi.

“A veteran, returning home, does not leave the war somewhere behind the front line. It remains for a long time in memory, thoughts, reactions, and habits. Therefore it is especially important that there be people nearby who understand this without unnecessary explanation and can support exactly what the veteran needs. Such spaces should become the heart of the veteran community, where a person is known, heard, and not left alone with their problems,” said Yaroslav Dobryanskyi.

The veterans' space was opened with the participation of regional and local authorities, veterans, and community residents. It will operate as a unified support environment for service members and their family members. Here one can receive psychological, social, and legal assistance, undergo physical recovery and rehabilitation, and get consultations on benefits and compensations. The space employs a psychologist, a physical rehabilitation specialist, a massage therapist, and a trainer. Individual consultations, peer support groups, activities to restore motor function, massage procedures, and fitness-sport training are provided.

A separate direction is legal support, which will assist with obtaining combatant status, disability status resulting from the war, and other guarantees. A veterans' community hub will also operate. It will be a place for meetings with comrades, gatherings of service members' families, and implementation of joint initiatives with civic organizations. To ensure veterans' mobility, a specialized vehicle was also provided to the space.

The municipal institution “Veterans' Space” is headed by Oleksandr Merezhko. He has long worked with the local veteran community and previously led the Afghan veterans' chapter. During the opening, further development of the space was discussed — in particular, work will continue on providing barrier-free access to the premises. Funds for this have already been allocated by the community.

Recall that in early August one of the veterans' spaces was also officially opened in the Vyshhorod community, where veterans and their family members can receive psychiatric and legal assistance.