In Nová Ves near Liberec, there is a new home for people with intellectual disabilities

Chrastava - A new regional home for adults with intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorders has been built in Nová Ves in Liberec. The construction of the house with three households for nine people cost 68.4 million crowns, of which the European subsidy was over 44 million, the rest was covered by the region. The home will be operated by the regional organization APOSS Liberec. Clients are expected to move in by the end of September, said the director of the organization Ivana Vodrážková during the ceremonial opening, according to ČTK.

According to her, half of the 18 clients from another home in Nová Ves, which is in an unsatisfactory condition, will be moving. "It's a modular building for 18 people, where they share social facilities and multi-bed rooms. The building is technically very poor. The life of the users there is very undignified," said Vodrážková.

With the move, they will gain significantly better conditions. The new home is divided into three households, each with three clients, where everyone has their own room. Each household has its own social facilities, a common room, and a kitchenette with a living room. "We expect that as each user has their own privacy, the aggression will diminish and overall it will be calmer, as they will not disturb each other," said the director. 15 people will take turns caring for the clients in the new home.

In a few years, the other half of the clients should also move from the unsatisfactory home in Nová Ves. "Projects of a similar type are being prepared for another 18 users because we still have some clients in Liberec on Zeyerova Street," added Vodrážková. Both groups will have a new home in the Liberec district of Vratislavice nad Nisou, and construction of two houses is expected to start next spring.

For the Liberec region, this is not the first similar project for the transformation of residential facilities. "The goal of the transformation is to allow clients of social service facilities to leave large institutions, respectively dormitories, and live a life similar to that of their healthy peers. With support, they are able to live in regular households, perform usual daily activities, manage self-care, and go to work or a sheltered daytime program,” said Petr Tulpa (Mayors for Liberec Region), the deputy governor for social affairs, during the ceremonial opening of the house.

The home for disabled women in Mařenice, operated by the regional organization Ostara, has already undergone a transformation with a move to four apartment buildings in Cvikov and Nový Bor. Clients from the regional Home for Sunny Courtyard have also moved to new houses and apartments in Česká Lípa, Sosnová, and Jestřebí. "Recently, housing for people with disabilities was completed in Raspenava, aimed at children and youth aged three to 26 with severe combined intellectual disabilities and significant care and support needs. The costs amounted to 66 million crowns, with the region contributing 18 million. The House of Jan in Hodkovice nad Mohelkou has also been completed, serving particularly those suffering from multiple sclerosis. It cost 24 million, with the region providing 23.7 million," added the region's spokesman Jan Mikulička.