The work of Father's House began when God called a young doctor Roman Korniyko to start working with the homeless children of Kiev, Ukraine. Initially, Dr. Korniyko had neither a specific opinions of these children nor a strong desire to work with them. Suddenly, though, in November 1996, the Lord opened his heart for Ukraine's growing population of street children. Wherever he went, he met homeless children. Since 1996, he has been unable to pass by Kiev's homeless without paying noticing them. At first, the children were suspicious of Dr. Korniyko but eventually they became close friends. Uncle Roma, as he was called by the children, ultimately became a familiar figure to many of the homeless children in Ukraine: not only to those who met him but also to those who heard of him. Uncle Roma brought food, cooked by his wife. He invited them to his home for prayer, clean clothes, and medical help.

It was difficult for those in Dr. Korniyko's community to understand his attitude towards the homeless; they warned him of the dangers of inviting the homeless into a place where his wife and two young daughters lived and played. Contrary to his friends' predictions, the children responded to Uncle Roma's generosity by inviting him into their own homes: the cellars, sewers and heating pipes of Kiev. The conditions in which these children lived left his heart troubled and restless. He understood that the support he provided was insufficient to fully change their conditions.