Desinstitutionalization and Community Living Project
Entity which complete it
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Type of disability
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Why is it a good practice of the Person-Centered Model?
Project promoted by the Bubamara Association, aimed at replacing institutional models with personalized community supports. The initiative creates independent living alternatives for people with disabilities, offering community-based services centered on individual preferences.
Person-centered approach: Places people with disabilities at the center of support planning, promoting self-determination and active participation in the community. It is articulated through supported housing, personal assistance services and local support networks, in coordination with families and professionals.
Integrated Assessment (Person, Family, Housing) and Life History
A key premise of the project is to recognise people currently living in institutional settings as individuals with rights, history and social needs — not just as institutional “residents.” The shift implies an assessment of their personal situation: their backgrounds, health and support needs, their social ties, housing possibilities, and what type of community support would be appropriate. By moving toward community-based care, the project acknowledges that the life history, living conditions, and personal preferences of each person must guide the transition — breaking with one-size-fits-all institutional care.
Personalised Care and Support Plan for the Life Project
Instead of institutional routines, individuals will receive tailored care and support plans aimed at enabling them to live in community settings. These plans are to be designed to fit each person’s needs, capacities, and life aspirations — including housing, daily living support, social inclusion, rehabilitation or therapy, and integration into community life. The goal is to restore autonomy, dignity and full participation, allowing people to shape their lives outside large institutions.
Support groups
Part of the community-based model involves building community networks: local social services, informal support networks (family, neighbours), local organisations and civil-society actors. This aims to foster inclusion, peer support, social interaction, and community engagement — providing emotional, social and practical support beyond formal care services. The transformation seeks to integrate people into community life, not just move them physically out of institutions.
Case Management and Resource Coordinator
The project includes a restructuring of care delivery: from centralized institutions to decentralized community services. This requires establishing coordination among social services, local authorities, health and rehabilitation services, housing, community organisations and possibly family or informal carers. A resource-coordination system will be needed to ensure continuity, oversight, tailored support, and connections between services. This coordination replaces the “institution as provider” model with a networked model of care.
Highlined results
Has reduced institutionalization of people with disabilities in the Vukovar-Srijem region, expanded community resources and demonstrated that personalized supports improve quality of life, social inclusion and autonomy.
Inspiring ideas for other enviorments. It can works! 😉
This deinstitutionalization initiative in Croatia shows that systemic change is possible: societies can transition from institutional care to community-based, person-centred models, enhancing dignity, autonomy and social inclusion. It suggests that with political will, resources and technical assistance, it’s feasible to redesign welfare systems so that people become full citizens again — living in ordinary housing, participating in community life, receiving supports adapted to their needs, and escaping isolation. Other countries can take inspiration: deinstitutionalization doesn’t only improve individual lives — it can rebuild social networks, reinforce community solidarity and modernise care systems.
Other observations
Bubamara Association