A Derby ministry that opened last year to house Ukrainian refugees has been forced to close

A Derby ministry that opened last year to house Ukrainian refugees has been forced to close amid a swirl of questions. About 150 refugees have made Vermont home since Russia invaded last year, but not all of their experiences have been similar. Scott Cianciolo, along with his wife Theresa, began taking in Ukrainian refugees a little more than a year ago but the couple’s mission slowly crumbled over the past year. Cianciolo says running the home was too much to juggle. As many as 30 Ukrainian refugees were staying in the home at one time. At least one person who lived in the home, who asked not to be identified, said the Cianciolos were dishonest and immoral and that things didn’t feel right in the home. Questions remain, though, about how the couple used state and federal funding. State officials have tip-toed around what happened and exactly what conditions existed at the home. The House of Mercy is now up for sale.

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