21 November, Vitebsk /Olga Bogacheva - BELTA/. A night shelter for homeless people has opened in Orsha, the head of the Department for Labour, Employment and Social Protection of the Orsha City Executive Committee, Alexander Kartsev, informed a BELTA correspondent. The facility is located on the premises of the former railway hospital building. It can accommodate 20-25 people at a time. Special sleeping places and a dining room have been set up for them, and a doctor is available. There are no residents in the shelter yet. However, Alexander Kartsev expressed confidence that they will appear soon, as the cold weather intensifies. There is no doubt about the demand for this facility, as about 15 homeless people are officially registered in Orsha, while the actual number, according to the interviewee, will be twice as high. Over Br50 million from the city budget and sponsorship was allocated for the creation of the facility. Currently, the staff of the shelter are establishing close ties with interested services and departments for fruitful activities, and are also working on informing individuals interested in their services. In the Vitebsk region, Orsha has become the second city, after Vitebsk, to open a facility for the overnight stay of homeless people. A similar shelter is also planned to be established in the Polotsk region, the Committee for Labour, Employment and Social Protection of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee added. -0-

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