Survey of homelessness in Russia
Results of a survey conducted by “Social Validation” and “Nochlezhka” on Russian people’s experiences of homelessness
20.11.2023
The study showed that one in five Russians has had experience of being homeless.
Two applied research CSOs “Social Validation” and “Nochlezhka” have published the results of their study on Russian people’s experiences of homelessness. Just over a thousand people took part in the research which was conducted from 23-25 October via mobile phones.
To the question, “Have you had to live away from home for a long time (more than two months) with friends, in hotels, hostels or any other institution not because of work but because you had nowhere else to live?”, one in five answered positively, while 10% said they had slept in doorways, or in non-residential properties on the street for several days. Eleven per cent lived with relatives or friends, with 15% having lived, or have been living in shelters or dilapidated housing for the past two or three years.
Thirty-three per cent of those asked said they have had great difficulty paying household and utility bills for the past two to three years, while one in three did not own a property in Russia. Seventy-two per cent of respondents said there was no danger of them becoming homeless in the coming year. Thirteen per cent said that such a threat did exist, although the chances were low, while 7% said that becoming homeless was a very real possibility.
“We often think that homelessness is something that happens to a particular group of people but not to us. Sadly, this is not the case. The information gained from the study is extremely valuable to us as it emphasises the scale of the problem in Russia and highlights the fact that homelessness is something that concerns us all and that we are all interested in ensuring that the amount of time spent by Russians in such a situation is kept to a minimum”, said Darya Baibakova, Director of the Moscow-based CSO “Nochlezhka”.
Full details of the survey can be found on: https://homeless.ru
