Right to Live in the Community is one of basic human rights. Guided by this imperative, the Croatian Ministry of Social Policy and Youth has been implementing the project of deinstitutionalisation and transformation of social welfare homes for the past three years. The goal of the project is to include people with disabilities in community life by providing supported housing and keeping them out of the institutions.

Life in the community is not a priviledge, but a responsibility of the society towards people with disabilities. In our society people with intellectual and mental difficulties finally get a chance to become what they really are – people that are equally respected and enjoy the same rights as other citizens of the Republic of Croatia. Community presence and living together with others in the community is a fundamental requirement for their full participation in society in general and, finally, it enables them to realize their basic human rights.

Through the process of deinstitutionalization we are trying to enable people with disabilities to once again become full members of society creating the opportunities for independent living.
In the Republic of Croatia 535 people with intellectual and mental difficulties came out of the institutions and started living in supported housing, where they aquire necessary skills and participate in community activities with the support of their assistants. 843 people living in 224 apartments/houses have been deinstitutionalised since 1997. The process keeps accelerating. According to the Operational Plan of deinstitutionalisation and transformation of social welfare homes and other legal entities providing social welfare in Croatia, a thousand additional people from 32 institutions will be deinstitutionalized by the end of 2016.
With this media campaign, the Croatian Ministry of Social Policy and Youth is trying to familiarize the general public with the process of deinstitutionalisation and encourage it to support people with intellectual and mental disabilities in their efforts to realize their right to live in the community.

Download campaign photos and video spots HERE:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/785jsf6zbt297wt/AAAGNbT0uVnGQeA4Zrdy5vR3a?dl=0
Main video spot: “Support the rights of people with intellectual and mental disabilities to live in the community:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCHys0KeEhE

Accompanying video spots (15 sec, 30 sec and 50 sec.):