The Island Council of Lanzarote has inaugurated a new community home for people with great support needs. This initiative is part of the innovative 'Mi Casa' project, developed by Plena Inclusión España in collaboration with various entities and public administrations.
The island president, Oswaldo Betancort, emphasized during his visit "the relevance of supporting this new model of community living," highlighting that "it contributes to restoring dignity to people with intellectual or developmental disabilities. To this end, the support and commitment of public administrations and the third sector are fundamental to continue advancing towards a more inclusive and just society for all," he adds.
"This initiative is a challenge and an innovation on the island, carried out together with the Adislan entity, with the commitment to allow people to live and receive the necessary support in their community, not in segregated spaces, and to have control over their own lives," said Marci Acuña. The Councilor for Social Welfare and Inclusion, Marci Acuña, explained that "most people with intellectual and developmental disabilities who have great support needs live in residences, because until now there was no possibility of living in apartments or houses in the community, making it difficult for them to have relationships and generate life projects, which is why supporting these projects has become the priority of this government group."
In that sense, Acuña considered that "the Administration could not continue to look the other way, so from the most absolute certainty we are moving towards a paradigm shift, where the models of work and services aimed at people with disabilities are transformed, to achieve full integration and citizenship, focusing on the person, improving the quality of life and favoring their social inclusion so that people with disabilities have the possibility of deciding the most basic issues of their life, relating to their environment and making friends."
For her part, Mónica Hernández, director of Adislan, stated that "the benefits of this lifestyle are already palpable. People are calmer and more serene, with a decrease in behavioral disturbances, they enjoy their lives more, they have a more normalized life plan, there is personal growth, they communicate more, people with intellectual disabilities are protagonists of their lives and make their own decisions."
Comprehensive support and community life
The 120 square meter house located on the Arrecife beachfront complies with the criteria and standards of the 'Mi Casa' pilot project, developed by Plena Inclusión España in collaboration with entities from Wales (United Kingdom) and the University Institute for Integration in the Community of the University of Salamanca (INICO).
This community home offers 24-hour support services, including innovative professional roles such as the reference technician, community connector, and home support figure. Currently, five people with great support needs live together, two of whom have been deinstitutionalized after living for more than ten years in a residential resource of the Network of Centers of the Cabildo de Lanzarote and the Government of the Canary Islands.
The project also seeks to link people with intellectual and developmental disabilities with their environment, promoting their active participation in the community and generating networks of personal relationships.