“Their lifetime is quite short – two years for an adolescent; a bit longer for an adult,” Tatyana Zadirako, Head of United Way Charity Fund, told RT.

For years, individual initiatives, mostly from the church, but also from private organizations, have been helping people who have found themselves in difficult situations and ended up on the streets. Now the organizations have united and are trying to raise the awareness of the authorities, as well as to change the attitude of Muscovites themselves.

Among the events planned for this year is the publishing of a book written by the homeless. The charities will go around and ask homeless people to write down their experiences and what is missing in their life – anything from a lack of cleaning facilities accessible to them, to difficulties in obtaining new documents or in getting jobs.

Moreover, the homeless will write letters to the authorities asking for exactly what they need.

“These are the people who became victims of some criminal affairs in the 1990s related to the real estates issues, the people having constant and permanent troubles with their families – they are put outside of their homes by relatives or family members, the people coming out from prisons, and people who have some kind of psychiatric and psychological problems,” Zadirako explained.

Nikolay came from Kazakhstan three years ago. He lost his job, his documents, and ended up on the streets.

“I won’t tell you my last name, because I feel embarrassed. I am a grown man, and I have no job. I have no documents either. I live wherever, everywhere.”

Nikolay says if it was not for a mobile soup kitchen organized by a group of volunteers, he would be forced to steal.

“I do not want to go to prison. But sometimes I just want to go steal things I need. I am tired of this kind of life,” Nikolay said.

Other stories are similar to Nikolay's – usually someone from out of town, who then has their passport stolen, or was cheated by their employer. Among the homeless, there is a lot of anger.

“Something needs to be done. Laws need to be changed or something. They complain about high crime rates, but what do they expect when people are being treated like that?” Aleksey Anelt, homeless, said.

The mobile soup kitchen organized by a group of volunteers is among the few places where Moscow's homeless can get free food and warm clothes.

Natalya Ukhvatova, financial manager of the kitchen, says it is hard to explain why she volunteered to help.

“Can you just walk past someone who is lying there on the street? I can't. I guess that is why I do this: out of compassion,” Natalya said.

Nikita's bus “Miloserdie” – or “Compassion” – is another initiative to help the homeless. Its team collects people who are freezing and need special help.

Throughout the night the bus makes several stops. Those who need medical help are taken to a hospital or, if possible, treated on the spot.

Vyacheslav Dmitriev is a regular. His finger tips were frostbitten and subsequently amputated.

“They take me on, they give me food and drink, and they put bandages on my wounds. I rely on this bus. I have nowhere else to go,” Vyacheslav told RT.

However, despite how much time and effort the volunteers put in, there just is not enough space for everyone, and many are left behind in the cold.

“Officially, we have three or five places where these people go and get different kinds of help. Either this is a place to spend the night or the place to have sanitation like a shower, medical assistance, to get second hand clothes and to have a psychological consultation from different types of specialists. In Moscow, there are 11 million inhabitants. Evidently, it’s not enough,” Tatyana Zadirako, Head of United Way Charity Fund, told RT.