Russia

New Social Solutions

New Social Solutions organise tournaments for those who do not have a home or are not legally registered in the country, as well as for people suffering from substance abuse. NSS has been running the “Social rehabilitation through football” programme since 2003. In 2007, they created a street football league of 20 teams of homeless people, refugees, people affected by substance abuse, and representatives of other vulnerable groups.

Meet the Team

1 — Andrei SAVOLIUK

3 — Rafik BAGDASARIAN

4 — Rauf BAKHMANLY

5 — Ovik BAGDASARIAN

7 — Anatolii ISTRANEN

8 — Denis KAZANKOV

9 — Ivan RIABCHIKOV

10 — Artem TYRYSHKIN

24 — Arkadii TIURIN (manager)

54 — Alexey SENCHUK (coach)

Organisation Details

Website

Participants

Homeless men and women, non-registered persons, refugees, and people suffering from substance abuse

Locations

St. Petersburg

Homelessness Statistics

3.5%

Of the population in Russia are homeless

13.3%

of Russian's live below the poverty line

Many people still perceive homeless people as criminals rather than unprotected population group, due to a long official tradition that criminalised homelessness and vagrancy. Problems for homeless people are aggravated by the lack of legislative and administrative measures (Kenneth and Marsh, 1999, p. 235).

Russia’s governmental statistics agency Rosstad has not collected any numbers on homeless people since 2010. The official number from that period – 64,000 – is thought to be far too low, and it is estimated that the real number is roughly 5 million (Euromaidan Press, 2017).

Around 19 million people, 13.3% of Russia’s population, live below the poverty line (CIA, 2017).