Since one of the major problems for elderly people is uneven and inadequate distribution, quality and accessibility of social services, the SNC’s Department for social and humanitarian issues decided to start the project “From Door to Door – accessible services for dignified life of third age people” in 2020.
Objective of the project is to improve the quality of life for elderly people and destitute persons, to decrease their social exclusion and to prevent their institutionalization.
Providing free transport and escort social service for people over the age of 65 which have a lower socioeconomic status, and live in rural, isolated and undeveloped regions without public transport forms the major part of the project.
Beneficiaries are using this service to meet the basic needs outside their home. Thanks to this program, beneficiaries most often meet following needs:
- To exercise healthcare rights and services (primary and specialist care, pharmacy …)
- To conduct administrative works (in post office, bank, social welfare center, pension insurance institute, tax office …)
- To buy groceries …
- To participate in community events (to attend fairs, funerals, celebrations of family saint patron’s day and the like).
In the first two years, from July 31, 2020 to July 31, 2022, the project was financed by the European Social Fund through operational program, Efficient Human Resources 2014-2020, in the amount of 1.499.101.38 kunas (198.964.96 €). The project proposal has been applied and accepted in the context of the call for proposals, “The Broadening of the Network of Social Services in the Community (Phase I)”, from the Ministry of Demographics, Family, Youth and Social policy. In above mentioned period regions of Glina, Benkovac and Donji Lapac were covered. The project was implemented in partnership with the town of Benkovac, the town of Glina, the Municipality of Donji Lapac, and Serbian minority councils in Zadar, Lika-Senj and Sisak-Moslavina counties. Furthermore, the aim of this project has been to improve and direct potential experts towards development of services in the community.
For this purpose education activities were held with experts working in social welfare, employment, public health, educational and judiciary systems, and in civil society. Three seminars on social planning and needs of elderly people were held, as well as three trainings for social skills in Zadar, Sisak, Glina, Korenica and Plitvice Lakes. In each of those activities 20 experts participated from different regions: North and Central Dalmatia, Banija, Kordun and Lika. Also, Manual on Social Planning and Needs of Elderly People, was written in the context of the project, and the public lecture on social standing of elderly people and non-institutional services was organized in Zagreb.
Employment of unemployed persons represents additional value of this program. In this way, they got an opportunity to stay and work in local communities with their families.
Expansion of the program/project:
- Municipality of Gračac was covered, and immediately after the Banija earthquake the program was launched in the town of Glina area
- Program was launched in the areas of Gospić and Lovinac, Ervenik and Knin, Slatina and Voćin
- The program covered municipalities of Sunja and Donji Kukuruzari, as well as the City of Sisak area
- The program expanded and covered the town of Obrovac, municipalities of Krnjak, Vojnić and Brailovići, the town of Pakrac and the City of Požega
The program covered 60 to 120 beneficiaries per area (1.000 beneficiaries in total), and 4 to 5 persons are using its services daily.
At the end, the program “From Door to Door” with 12 vehicles and 12 field assistants (drivers-escorts) developed a wide transport and escort social service network for over 1.000 elderly people with low social and economical status.
The program actually covered 21 regions, 11 towns and 10 municipalities in the area of seven counties (Zadar, Šibenik-Knin, Lika-Senj, Karlovac, Sisak-Moslavina, Virovitica-Podravina and Požega-Slavonia). In other words, through this program the Department for social and humanitarian issues is active from North to Central Dalmatia, over Lika, Kordun i Banija, all the way to Western Slavonia.