Social center for mentally ill people in Slovakia

Separate - supported housing comes with many challenges. Suddenly, you need to take care of your household, get your own food, manage your finances, or deal with official matters. 

The more challenging thing is living alone for a person with a mental disorder. Being different does not mean that they cannot be independent.

Supported Housing in Dss - MOST, n.o. is a service for adults with mental health problems. Within five-year training program, our clients have the opportunity to try and stand alone to obtain the skills they would need for their independent life. Last year 2018, 11 clients used this service. One of them is Lucia, who has been our client for more than a year.

Lucia´s entering Supported Housing was a major change in her life associated with a lot of expectations. We bring to you an interview with her. 

Lucia: "It was a step forward for me to join into Supported housing of Dss-MOST, ngo.  I became more independent and it was good for me also, that I could be sure that I had the opportunity to ask my assistant to be there for me and help me.  I have someone, whom I can consult my problems, life issues. This helped relieve me of stress, and I was more confident that I didn't have to worry that my health or mental condition would get worse."

Supported housing comes with responsibilities and challenges. Suddenly, you need to take care of your household, get your food, manage your finances, or deal with official matters. Especially for people who do not have enough experience in this regard, these can be very challenging tasks. That is why we try to provide our clients with as much support as possible so that they do not have to deal with it alone.  Each client has a "key worker"- assistant, with whom he / she works individually during the entire stay in the supported housing. During meetings, they both devote themselves to practicing various practical skills and in small steps, moving closer to achieving their goals. Just like our Lucia.

Lucia: “I'm happy with my key assistant – Monika. Together we are developing my plans to work for my independence, and I have the chance to discuss some of the things that may bother me.”

Although it is not always easy to follow your goals, the commitment and strength of our clients is great. And great is Lucia's dream.

"The biggest benefit is that we are working with my key assistant on what's going to be next after my leaving this supported housing. My dream is to be able to live alone. With my health limits, I can't give such performances as healthy people; I have limited options, so I don't have a big earnings opportunity. We were looking for possibilities that would be real to me, such as a generic, social apartment. "

Although each of our clients dreams of something else, all their dreams have something in common. It is a desire for independent and fulfilled life.

Help us to get rid of the myths and preconceptions, so mentally ill people can live better lives!

Yours MOST (Bridge)