Housing services for people with disabilities
Housing services for people with disabilities aim at providing the person with a disability with an ergonomic and functional accommodation and necessary support services. The person`s wishes and needs also have to be taken into account. The services can in some cases be free of charge, but the rent and other housing costs are always paid by the persons themselves.
Different forms of housing services are available for people with disabilities depending on their service needs.
Housing services for people with disabilities include an apartment and the necessary services.
The apartment may be a rented or an owner-occupied apartment. It may be a part of a group of apartments, group home or communal housing unit. The apartment is not just a single room, but also includes a kitchen and toilet. The housing can also be arranged at the person`s own home for example with the help of personal aid, home care and home renovations.
Necessary services are services required by the person with a disability to cope in their daily life. For example, they include moving about, assistance with getting washed and dressed, meal services, cleaning, taking care of medication and safety services. The required services are defined personally for each individual in an individual client or service plan.
People with disabilities who need care and looking after to cope with their daily life are entitled to housing services.
Housing services are not intended for persons who need institutional care. For example, if a person with a severe disability mainly needs continuous or long-term medical care, they are often not entitled to housing services for people with disabilities. However, the situation is always considered on a case-by-case basis, based on the needs and wishes of the person in question.
The practices in applying for a place in communal housing vary between different areas. To have your service need assessed, contact the social welfare services of your wellbeing services county.
- The wellbeing services county will assess your service need.
- A social worker will draw up a client or service plan for your together with you and your next of kin, if necessary.
- The client or service plan includes the kind and amount of services you need to support your daily life and living in an apartment.
- The updated plan will serve as the basis for agreeing on service housing or some other housing solution suitable for your needs. The wellbeing services county must organise the place of care within three months after your application has arrived. The solution can also be that housing is arranged at your own home for example with help of personal aid, home care and home renovations.
Ultimately, the wellbeing service county will decide what kind of housing service you get and what kind of services you are entitled to. However, the wellbeing services county must also take into account your personal opinions and your individual situation. This decision must be made without undue delay and within three months of your application at the latest. In urgent situations, you may receive the services you need even before the client or service plan has been drawn up.
For housing services for people with disabilities, you pay all your personal housing-related costs yourself. Such costs include the rent, electricity, food and detergents.
The support services that are necessary in your daily life may be free of charge. Necessary support services include assistance with getting washed, getting dressed, cooking, eating, cleaning and moving about.
Specialised services, i.e. help and support, provided for people with disabilities are usually free of cost. You can read more about the topic in the THL´ Handbook on Disability Services? (in Finnish or Swedish)Opens in a new window..
If you purchase the housing services from a private service provider, you will be responsible for all of the costs yourself.
There are no rules for private service providers on the pricing of housing services for people with disabilities. Private service providers therefore decide their prices themselves. However, the prices must always be reasonable. The prices must also be indicated as clearly, unambiguously and transparently as possible.
If you wish to buy housing services directly from a private service provider, familiarise yourself carefully with the terms and conditions of agreement. Find out the prices, how they are formed and what services they include. Compare the services and prices of different service providers.
Sometimes the wellbeing services county organises the services by purchasing them from a private service provider. In that case, the customer is charged the same fees and compensation as for the corresponding services provided by the wellbeing service county itself.
You can apply for support from Kela to cover your personal housing expenses. If you are not retired, you can apply for general housing allowance. If you are retired, you can apply for housing allowance for pensioners.
The pages about Services for people with disabilities explain how you can apply for Kela’s disability allowance or care allowance for pensioners to make your everyday life easier. In addition, you can apply for a rehabilitation benefit from Kela for the duration of your rehabilitation.
You may receive compensation from the wellbeign service county for buying the devices you need in your daily activities and for the necessary alterations to your home. Read more about the topic on the page Assistive devices and home renovations for people with disabilities.
If you pay for the services related to your housing services yourself, you can often apply for a deduction for household expenses for them from the Tax Administration. You may also receive services provided at home without having to pay the VAT.
Many wellbeing services counties use service vouchers to organise housing services. For more information, see the page Using the service voucher when choosing a place of treatment. You can use the service voucher to buy services related to your housing service from private service providers.
However, if you do not have enough money for living in spite of the allowances you receive, you can apply for social assistance from Kela. Social assistance is explained in more detail on the page Entitlement to basic social assistance.
The parties producing housing services must themselves supervise, develop and follow the quality of their services. Self-regulation includes the service provider`s responsibility to check the extract from the criminal record for those intending to work with older people.
The unit providing the service must draw up a public self-monitoring plan to support the supervision of its operations. The implementation of the service must be monitored regularly and the activities must be developed on the basis of the feedback received from customers and personnel.
Wellbeing services counties that operate as service providers as well as service providers who provide housing services in more than just one service unit have to draw up the self-monitoring programme regarding their tasks and services they are responsible for. The plan has to be published for example on their website.
The wellbeing services county must ensure that those who need housing services for people with disabilities receive services in accordance with their client or service plan. The wellbeing services county must also ensure that an individual unit providing the service is capable of providing the care and services needed by that person.
At a regional level, housing services for peple with disabilities is supervised by the regional state administrative agencies. The National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health Valvira in turn guides the regional state administrative agencies to ensure that supervision is as uniform as possible everywhere in Finland.
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