The Liberec Region will build new housing for people with disabilities in Semily, another project to transform social services. Clients of the Tereza Social Care Services should move into more dignified conditions. The region is now looking for a contractor for the contract worth nearly CZK 86 million and work should start in the summer. About 85 percent of the construction costs should be paid for by the European Union, announced Deputy Governor for Social Affairs Petr Tulpa (Mayors for the Liberec Region).
The Tereza Home in Benešov near Semily provides a day care centre, a weekly residential home and respite services for people with mental disabilities, chronic mental illnesses and combined disabilities. In the Na Vinici area of Semily, a house with four households is to be built, each of which will be designed for four clients, and the respite service will serve two more clients. However, Tulpa said the two buildings of the home in Benešov will also undergo reconstruction, increasing the capacity of the facility.
The original plan was to move the clients into the new buildings before renovating the old facilities, but due to subsidy deadlines, the construction must be done at the same time, so alternative housing must be provided. The clients will stay in the former Golf Hotel in Semily during the reconstruction. “We originally planned to place them in the Semily hospital, but it will be rebuilt. The premises of the hotel will also have to be adapted for the disabled, there is a cost estimate of around eight million, we would pay half of that,” said the deputy governor.
The transformation of social services in the Liberec Region began about 20 years ago. Since then, the institutions have undergone significant changes – the number of clients has significantly decreased, conditions have improved, many clients have left large homes, some have returned to their families, and others now live in sheltered housing. The first facility to undergo the transformation was the Mařence Home, and clients of homes in Jestřebí, Hodkovice nad Mohelkou and Raspenava are also living in the new home. New houses are being built in Nová Ves near Chrastava and more are being built in Vratislavice. The new houses are also energy-efficient.
“The transformation of social services is the transformation of the undignified conditions of life of the disabled and their orientation closer to normal life. Thanks to this process, modern, small, community-type facilities are being created to help disabled people get as close as possible to the lives led by healthy people. The new family-type housing, unlike the institutional environment, restores dignity to these people and helps to increase their self-esteem,” said Martin Půta (Mayors for the Liberec Region).
Source: CTK
