The Community Foundation «Podilska Hromada», as part of the «Accessible Courtyards» mini-grant competition, presented certificates to ten winners. The winners were the following condominium associations in Vinnytsia: «Keletska, 78A», «Antonova-20», «Antonova-22», «Pokryshkina 8G/3», «Svobody-1», «Podolyanka-8», «Yunosti 22», «Pirogova, 144», «Bratslavska-1», and «Pirogova, 148». This means that ramps, handrails, and barrier-free routes from the building entrance to the street will soon appear in their courtyards — solutions that will help residents feel more comfortable in their own spaces.
«We understand that the amount of support is modest. But we know the strength of our people. We’ve previously worked with HOAs on the «Shelter for Life’ project» — and there, too, with relatively modest funds, thanks to the initiative of leaders and the involvement of residents and businesses, we managed to achieve truly positive results. We have faith this time as well. And as we listened to the presentations, we realized that for condominium associations presidents, it’s not just the financial aspect that matters. It’s important to them that someone recognizes their efforts and says, «This is needed», — said Olena Danilova, director of the Community Foundation «Podilska Hromada».
A total of 36 applications were submitted to the competition by condominium associations in Vinnytsia. Twenty-eight of them passed the technical screening. The competition committee evaluated each project and selected ten winners, who will receive financial support to implement their ideas.
In parallel with the competition, more than 50 representatives of condominium associations took part in workshops on ethical communication with people with disabilities, because accessibility encompasses both architecture and communication culture.
In addition, the certificate presentation was combined with an expert session: architect Serhiy Yakivchuk and accessibility ambassador Lyudmyla Netskina provided consultations for the winners directly during the event. These consultations provided valuable support for the condominium associations chairpersons, as they received practical answers to their questions even before work began and can now move forward with greater confidence toward implementation.
«We thank the Community Foundation for organizing workshops for condominium associations on ethical communication, as well as for its support and the grants provided, which will help improve the accessibility of buildings and courtyard areas. We hope that, thanks to the implementation of this initiative, other condominium associations will be inspired by similar case studies and will participate in the development of our community», — said Olga Voronkova, chief specialist of the Department of condominium associations development of the Vinnytsia City Council.
Among the winners are those whose projects are rooted in very specific personal stories. Andriy Kalashnikov submitted five applications, three of which were selected, and for him, this is a real opportunity to help residents who are waiting for the chance to leave their homes on their own.
«There’s a young woman in one of the buildings who uses a wheelchair. I promised her that we’d find a way for her to be able to go outside. Thanks to funding from the Community Foundation «Podilska Hromada», we plan to build a path from the ramp to Pirogov Street so that she can finally go for a walk on her own», — Andriy said.
The «Accessible Yards» mini-grant competition is implemented by the Community Foundation «Podilska Hromada» with financial support from the GFCF — the Global Fund for Community Foundations.
