Miroslav Kain (31) and Lenka Králová (43) live in a facility called Domov Háj in Ledeč nad Sázavou. The facility provides care for about 70 persons with mental and combined disorders. Next year, Mirek and Lenka expect a large change. Within the process of transformation, they will move to a small house near Světlá nad Sázavou. Both look forward to it a lot. It means for them much greater independence and also responsibility. 

Cooking, washing dishes, washing clothes, ironing, vacuuming... are standard activities which most of the healthy population deal with, but for the clients of social services with accommodation it is not a natural thing. It is also due to the fact that the life in the institution did not allow anything like that before. Fortunately, the large houses with wide corridors reminiscent of the hospital slowly become history. 

“We thought about how to facilitate the clients transfer from the institution to community housing as much as possible. Such change, even it is for the good, is very demanding for them. We found out that there is the possibility to apply for a subsidy through the Operational Programme Employment, which can be used to purchase domestic appliances. Our application was successful,” describes Pavlína Dvořáková, the project manager.

Thus from this year, Mirek with Lenka and other clients are becoming familiar with the standard activities of how the appliances work - washing machine, drier, clothes horse, iron, ironing board, vacuum cleaner, stove with an oven, dishwasher, microwave and hand blender. “Each client has an individual plan and trains according to his/her skills and possibilities,” explains the project manager. Because the clients can try everything before moving, they are more at peace.

Mirek likes cooking as well as Lenka. It might be joint love for food which brought them together. “I do not like vacuum cleaning and ironing so much,” admits Lenka. But the possibility to prepare food they would like to eat at that moment is the most attractive thing for the clients. “Some of them were slightly surprised when they found out that it is also necessary to wash dishes, which is not a nice activity,” adds Pavlína Dvořáková smiling.

Living in a family house in an urban development will bring the clients many other positives - contact with the surroundings, with neighbours, the possibility to do shopping at any time, services are close... Domov Háj is located about five kilometres behind the town in the middle of a forest surrounded by high trees. It is a heavenly peace here; the bus comes over here once a day. People who are used to the city bustle might find such place great for relaxation. However, it is not such sweet idyll for living. “Some clients perceive such peace very badly. They miss companionship and feel isolated,” adds František Čapek, the methodologist of Domov Háj. This is just a goal of the transformation – to make disabled people able to live a life similar to the life of their peer groups as much as possible.

Mirek with Lenka already count the days to the change. Building work is also being finished - the house must be adapted to its inhabitants and have a background for the workers who will support them. Four other clients will live there apart from Lenka and Mirek.

Community housing already works in Světlá nad Sázavou and six people already live there. Gradually, there will be another ten households in five towns in the Havlíčkův Brod region. The transformation process will end in 2020 - and the hospital corridors will be empty.