The Union of Organizations Supporting Persons with Intellectual Disabilities of the Federation Bosnia and Herzegovina opened the first supported housing apartment for people with intellectual disabilities in Sarajevo on May 10, 2011. Three people with intellectual disabilities share the apartment, which has provided them with an alternative to institutionalization. Within the same project, three months ago, three persons with intellectual disabilities moved into the first supported housing apartment in Mostar.
The Open Society Mental Health Initiative is providing support to this project to develop community-based supported housing services. The project aims to raise awareness of the need to establish sustainable state-funded community-based supported housing services for persons with intellectual disabilities as alternatives to institutionalization.
Several government officials and representatives of civil society organizations attended the opening ceremony for the apartment.