Help Viktor and Halyna Chornyi Find a permanent home at "Our People" Senior Center

Halyna (73) and Viktor (73) devoted their lives to teaching, pouring their energy into students and classrooms. They imagined their retirement years as a time of peace,surrounded by books, gardens, and family visits. That dream was shattered when bombs tore through their neighborhood in April 2022.

They fled with just a few suitcases, thinking they might return in a few weeks. Instead, they found themselves adrift, their apartment destroyed, their city left in ruins. In Novi Petrivtsi,where they rent a small home, the cost of living has become unbearable. Nearly 10,000 UAH goes each month to housing and utilities — a cruel sum for two retired teachers who should be enjoying rest, not hardship.

Their children, too, are displaced, living in rented housing nearby. For Halyna and Viktor, the tragedy is not only losing their home, but losing the security and dignity of their final years.

What should have been a time of peace has become a constant fight against displacement and poverty.