Thanks to the amendment to the budgetary act in the years 2022-2024, an additional amount of PLN 1 billion will be allocated for activities under the package „Independence – Activity – Mobility!” (S-A-M!) regarding the social, occupational and therapeutic rehabilitation of persons with special needs resulting from disability. The recipients of the activities will be persons with severe disabilities.

– I am very glad that over the next three years an additional amount of PLN 1 billion will be allocated for supporting persons with disabilities. The assistance to be provided using these funds is extremely important and necessary. Thanks to these activities, we will make it possible for many people to live more independently. This is a great opportunity – says Deputy Minister of Family and Social Policy and Government Plenipotentiary for Persons with Disabilities, Paweł Wdówik.

– The fact that these additional, very significant funds will be secured in the budget makes us exceptionally happy. This support will help solve specific problems of persons with disabilities, such as the issue of housing adapted to their needs, rehabilitation equipment or appropriate transport. PFRON will ensure that these funds will go to those who will need them most – adds Krzysztof Michałkiewicz, President of the Management Board of PFRON (State Fund for Rehabilitation of Disabled People).

I. HOUSING FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES PROGRAMME

The programme aims at providing opportunities for independent living for persons with severe disabilities, especially those requiring support in everyday life activities, as well as young people leaving the educational system. The programme consists of three modules and each of them pursues a different objective:

• Module A: Provides for co-financing of renting a flat for graduates leaving universities or secondary and post-secondary schools, for the period of commencement of employment, including job seeking.

At least 3 thousand graduates are to benefit from this support. The expected cost of implementing the support is PLN 150 million over 3 years. The operator of support will be a district self-government competent for a given place. The planned start date for the call for applications is March 2022.

• Module B: Provides for co-financing the exchange of a flat with architectural barriers for persons with musculoskeletal dysfunction.

Within three years, at least 2.5 thousand people are to benefit from the support for a total amount of PLN 150 million. As in module A, the operator of support will be a district self-government, and the planned start date of the call for applications is March 2022.

• Module C: A programme for non-governmental organisations to create assisted flats and assisted housing communities for persons with severe disabilities requiring permanent support.

This form of assistance is assumed to initiate about 150 – 250 new projects of assisted flats and assisted housing communities. Over three years, PLN 300 million will be allocated for this purpose. The operator of support will be the branches of the State Fund for Rehabilitation of Disabled People.

II. CAR PROGRAMME

The objective of this programme will be to provide specially adapted means of transport to persons with severe disabilities, requiring a specially adapted car to be able to move.

• Module A: Providing a person with disability with a car adapted to their individual needs.

Over three years, PLN 60 million will be allocated for this form of support. The funds will be available as from April 2022, and PFRON will be responsible for the entire process.

• Module B: Providing residents of rural municipalities with car transport along with the necessary support.

PFRON will also be responsible for this form of support, and the budget is PLN 33 million for three years.

• Module C: Co-financing or reimbursement of the costs of a driving course or exams for persons purchasing a car as part of the module.

Over three years, PLN 6.75 million will be allocated for this purpose, and about 900 persons will benefit from the support. The operator of support will be a district self-government competent for the place of residence of a person with disability.

III. FINANCING THE CREATION OF NEW OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY WORKSHOPS AND OCCUPATIONAL ACTIVITY CENTRES

The objective of the programme is to increase the number of institutions activating persons with the most severe disabilities in terms of work. It is planned to exempt a self-government from participation in the costs for 3 years (taking over the financing of institutions being created for this period of time, amendment to the regulations).

The expected number of the group making us of support over three years is up to 1,200 persons in the case of occupational therapy workshops and up to 900 persons in the case of occupational activity centres. The budget in this period is PLN 40 million for workshops and PLN 60 million for centres.

IV. RENTAL OF REHABILITATION EQUIPMENT, MEDICAL DEVICES AND ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGIES

The objective of the programme providing for cooperation between the National Health Fund, the Government Agency for Strategic Reserves and the State Fund for Rehabilitation of Disabled People is to provide persons with disabilities with access to the technologies, devices and equipment they need without a need for these persons to incur the costs of their purchase, by building a resource which, thanks to the mechanism of renting, storing, maintaining and modernising, will be able to serve many successive users. Thanks to this, not only will greater availability of so much needed equipment be ensured, but also the efficiency of its use will be improved.

– Support for persons with disabilities is a very important task of the State and the Government, that is why the Government Agency for Strategic Reserves, which has powers in the field of logistics and storage and is involved with medical reserve services on a daily basis, will join this project and will be the operational coordinator of the rental – says the President of the Agency, Michał Kuczmierowski.

The budget is PLN 200 million.