Building a Vermont haven for Ukrainian families

At first, the Shapovalov family thought they’d be able to avoid the worst of the fighting. Their village, Skelky, along the Dnipro River in Ukraine, was close to a large nuclear power plant. They didn’t think the invading Russian army would dare to shoot anywhere nearby.

But the tanks rolled in. They could hear explosions from the bomb shelter some nights. 

They spent nearly 40 days living under Russian occupation before they were able to escape. 

Now, they’re living in Derby, in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, just miles from the Canadian border. They were the first family to arrive at the “House of Mercy,” a former nursing home recently transformed into housing for more than 30 Ukrainian refugees. 

House of Mercy is a project of Agape Ministries, an Albany-based Christian nonprofit led by Scott and Theresa Cianciolo that works with developmentally disabled children and adults. This summer, the organization purchased the 10,000-square-foot shuttered nursing home in Derby from North Country Hospital. 

Many of the Ukrainian families who arrived throughout the month of August have children with disabilities. People with a range of skills — from plumbing to painting to physical therapy — have shown up at the house in recent weeks to volunteer their time, to support arriving families and help convert the building into accessible and comfortable housing. 

In this episode, Sasha, Dmytro, Oleksandra and Yakov Shapovalov describe their journey out of Russian occupation and their transition to life in Vermont. Theresa and Scott Cianciolo walk reporter Ethan Weinstein through the house in Derby, and discuss how a community quickly came together to build a place of refuge.