Located in the heart of the historic center of Lucca, was born Almonda protected residential community with two apartments sleeping eight each for theaccommodation of adults with disabilities of medium complexity. The opening is scheduled for next autumn. The building also includes a third apartment with four beds for independent living.
The renovation works, organized and completed by the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca, have just concluded. They have returned to the city a property of great architectural value, made available by the congregation of the Sisters Ministers of the Infirm of San Camillo (Barbantine), located in a portion of the Monastery of the Holy Trinity, within the block that includes Via Elisa, Via del Fosso, Via del Calcio and Via San Micheletto.
One wing of this historic building has been reorganized to accommodate a sheltered housing communitya form of supported housing provided for in the catalog of social-welfare structures of the Tuscany Region, for adults with disabilities who need assistance for increase their capacity for autonomy, self-management, social relationships and full integration into community life. The housing community fits within the framework of the law After usto guarantee maximum autonomy and independence to people with severe disabilities, for example by allowing them to continue living – even when their parents can no longer take care of them – in contexts as similar as possible to the family home. The community will be managed by the Foundation for Social Cohesionan organization of the Fcrlu that works in the field of welfare, and personal and educational assistance services will be provided by Anffas, a partner of the project since its inception.
The renovation of the building and the community accommodation service it will host were presented today (27 June) by the president of the Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca Foundation Marcello Bertocchini, by the president of the Foundation for Social Cohesion Lucia Corrieri Puliti, by Vania Nottoli, president of Anffas Lucca, and by representatives of the Congregation of the Sisters Ministers of the Sick of San Camillo. The president of the Tuscany Region also participated in the presentation, Eugenio Gianiand representatives of the Usi Toscana Nord Ovest company and the municipalities that are part of the area district.
“It is a building of great historical value, whose new functionality is the result of a process of listening to the main needs of the territory by the Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca Foundation – underlined the president Marcello Bertocchini -. Our goal was to create the conditions so that people with disabilities could have a different perspective on the future and independent life, starting from the promotion of their capacity for autonomy. The building was chosen in the center of the city to add additional value to the initiative, inserting community guests into an intense and lived daily life. Three years of careful renovation work served to redevelop the ancient buildingcontinuing the general redevelopment of the eastern area of the city and allocating a private and unused structure to public use, and to give people with disabilities the possibility of counting on a new path of residentiality and life that is as independent as possible”.
“Opening this new structure in the center of the city is a symbolic choice, but also a decisive one for those who will live there – he reiterated Lucia Corrieri Puliti, president of the Social Cohesion Foundation -. In the coming months, in fact, the house’s guests will be able to fully participate in the life of the city and thrive far from dynamics of marginalization. The service we promote is based on the idea of a home, not an institutionalizing structure, which promotes autonomy and not assistance, which considers people not as objects of care, but as subjects with rights. In this sense, the planning and discussion process that we are undertaking with the Usi Toscana Nord Ovest company and the socio-health districts of our territory is fundamental, together with a very close dialogue and the active participation of the associative fabric and third sector bodies of the city. We see the home as a resource and a place to experiment with social innovation paths and cultural welfare actions.”
The functionality of the building
The renovation works and the organization of the spaces and furnishings were conducted by the Technical Office of the Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca Foundation, in compliance with regional regulations. However, it was lent particular attention to accessibility thanks to the collaboration with the European Center for Research and Promotion of Accessibility, which provided valuable advice on the organization of spaces and took care of the design of the furnishings to improve the quality of life, accessibility, usability and usability of the environments, in line with the principles of universal design.
The building, accessible from Via Elisa, develops on three floors with three apartments. Two self-employed with a total of 16 places dedicated to the hospitality of adults with disabilities of medium complexity who need support for an independent life. And a third apartment for 4 people, destined to become a so-called “independence gym”, where people with disabilities who still live in family contexts will be able to develop and strengthen their skills and competences to emancipate themselves from the family in the future and fit into a context community. The ground floor has been equipped with multifunctional spaces open to the use of local associations.
The management of Mandorla
The management of the housing community will be handled by the Social Coesion Foundation through its Social Enterprise, in collaboration with Anffas and with the contribution of the social cooperatives Essequ for laundry and cleaning services and La Salute for support in the management of the kitchen.
The organization of the services, also supported by a working group with the Maria Eletta Martini Center and the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna of Pisa, was developed taking into account the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the most recent relevant documents at international and supranational level, such as the European Union Strategy on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030, and the UN report entitled Transformation of services for persons with disabilitiespublished in 2023. The common goal of these initiatives is to ensure respect for the intrinsic dignity and individual autonomy of people with disabilities, ensuring their full and effective participation and inclusion in society.
(News being updated)
