Indicator 4(B): Are there pilot projects on community living? Are they effective and inclusive enough?

Conclusion:
Yes, however they are few in number. They should be consistently financed and scaled up.

Explanation:

There are several pilot projects run by NGOs and municipalities. One example is a supported home for persons with mental disabilities established by the Chovecolubie Association in Pazardzik.^[90] Supported housing services are provided in two apartments which are owned by people with disabilities and who grant permission to the association to provide social services there. The project was funded by the European Union for one year, but the association faced financial problems when this short period of funding ended, and without other state funding.^[91] The local regional council wanted to financially support the services after the expiry of the EU project, but the local mayor vetoed the decision on the basis that the owners of the buildings were people with disabilities.

There are also five projects running under the Action Plan under the National Strategy ‘Vision for deinstitutionalisation of the children of the Republic of Bulgaria’. “Childhood for all” is a project run by the State Agency for Child Protection, targeting 1,800 children and young people with the aim of ensuring their long-term placement in family-type care settings. Besides closing boarding institutions, the project aims to develop family- and community-based services to replace institutions. The plan is to build 149 family-type accommodation centres and 36 protected homes in the territory of 81 municipalities.^[92]

Plans have been developed to secure inclusive education for children with mental disabilities. The Ministry of Education is running a project funded by the European Union with 10 million BGN (approximately 5 million EUR) from January 2011 to October 2014. The aim of the project was to integrate children with special needs in mainstream schools. Under the project several pilot models have been tested on raising the capacity of mainstream schools to provide inclusive education and on reforming residential special schools.^[93]