“The Social Policy for Elderly People
in Varna Municipality - best practice model
for Fighting the Poverty”
Workshop ”Fighting the Poverty: from Innovative Idea to
Cooperation”
19 – 20 April 2011, Riga/Latvia
Polina Antonova, UBBSLA
Union Of Bulgarian Black Sea Local Authorities
www.ubbsla.org
Bulgaria and Bulgarian Black Sea region
:: LOCATION ::
Situated in southeastern Europe,
Bulgaria occupies the northeastern
part of the Balkan Peninsula. To the
North, via the Danube River, it
borders on Romania, to the West –
on Serbia and Montenegro and on
the Former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia. To the South its
neighbours are Greece and Turkey.
To the East Bulgaria touches the
Black Sea.
:: TERRITORY ::
110 000 km2
:: POPULATION :: 7 351 234
:: CAPITAL CITY::
:: Bulgaria is an EU member since
January 1, 2007 ::
Sofia
Union Of Bulgarian Black Sea Local Authorities
www.ubbsla.org
UNION OF THE BULGARIAN
BLACK SEA LOCAL AUTHORITIES
Established in 1992
Unites 21 municipalities
Network of the Bulgarian Black
Sea municipalities
 Member service organization
representing its members’
interests for the evolvement of
competent and trustworthy local
authorities.
Union Of Bulgarian Black Sea Local Authorities
www.ubbsla.org
VARNA MUNICIPALITY
Varna
Varna - the marine capital of Bulgaria, major
tourist, economic and university centre
Sofia
Location: Black Sea coast of Bulgaria
Territory: 237 km2
Population: 360 000 people
During 2008, Varna was proclaimed as “The Best City to live in Bulgaria”
Union Of Bulgarian Black Sea Local Authorities
www.ubbsla.org
The Social Policy of Varna Municipality
“According to the latest
census April 1, 2011, the
population in Bulgaria is
aging”
Varna Municipality has
established lasting traditions
for increasing the welfare of
vulnerable groups in the city.
The
Public
Council
of
Rehabilitation and Social
Integration
of
Disabled
People, leaded by the Varna
Mayor initiated in 2003 the
Municipal Social Program.
Union Of Bulgarian Black Sea Local Authorities
www.ubbsla.org
Highlights of the Social Program
• Decentralization of the social services delivery
Varna municipality directly manages a very small
share of the social services, and first in the country
provides the most competitive activities by external
suppliers.
As a result, over 95% of the services and activities
under the program are awarded to be implement by
NGOs.
•Deinstitutionalization
Create conditions for integrating of people in their
normal living environment, not to separate and
isolate them within a specialized institution.
Union Of Bulgarian Black Sea Local Authorities
www.ubbsla.org
The budget for implementing
the Social Program in the last eight years:
2003 –
60 200 €
2004 – 132 500 €
2005 – 262 000 €
2006 – 397 800 €
2007 – 1 018 000 €
2008 – 1 515 000 €
2009 – 1 253 300 €
2010 – 1 519 000 €
--------------------------Total: 6 157 800 €
Union Of Bulgarian Black Sea Local Authorities
www.ubbsla.org
The Social Program 2011
focuses on :
-Fighting the poverty, discrimination and
social exclusion;
-Ensuring stability and expansion of the
network of social services in the
municipality;
-Providing an accessible architecture,
vibrant and information environment for
people with disabilities;
- Attracting the business as socioeconomic partner.
The main target groups are: Children
and adults with disabilities and older
people
Union Of Bulgarian Black Sea Local Authorities
www.ubbsla.org
The social activities and initiatives are oriented towards
fighting the poverty and social exclusion through:
 target social services and care to the most vulnerable
groups - elderly, single people, people with disabilities,
children at risk, representatives of ethnic minorities;
 transition from institutional care to services that allow
people to reside in the community and family environment;
improve the facilities in the social institutions through
reconstruction, renovation, retrofitting;
Union Of Bulgarian Black Sea Local Authorities
www.ubbsla.org
create new alternative social services – day-care
centers, centers for social rehabilitation and
integration, home-care, mobile social services
centers for family-type accommodation, etc.;
develop of social services for the poorest – public
dining rooms, home respite care, etc.;
full utilization of existing social institutions and
their gradual conversion into alternative social
services.
Union Of Bulgarian Black Sea Local Authorities
www.ubbsla.org
The total number of social services and
specialized institutions in the municipality of
Varna are 39
This institutions have capacity to provide
social services for 2 588 elderly people in total
Union Of Bulgarian Black Sea Local Authorities
www.ubbsla.org
HOME FOR OLD PEOPLE “GERGANA”
Home for elderly “Gergana” has capacity for 110
residents. It provides social and health services to
women and men over the retirement age.
Union Of Bulgarian Black Sea Local Authorities
www.ubbsla.org
HOME FOR OLD PEOPLE
“St. John Chrysostom”
In 2009, for the first time
in Bulgaria, a publicprivate partnership
helped to open a home
for elderly “St. John
Chrysostom” with
capacity of 43 places.
Union Of Bulgarian Black Sea Local Authorities
www.ubbsla.org
HOME FOR OLD PEOPLE “St. John Chrysostom”
Union Of Bulgarian Black Sea Local Authorities
www.ubbsla.org
The social services in the municipality, delegated by
the state activities are:
* Day-centers for elderly
* Center for Social Rehabilitation and
Integration of People with Disabilities
with capacity for 30 people
* Protected homes for people
with mental disabilities
Union Of Bulgarian Black Sea Local Authorities
www.ubbsla.org
Day-care Center “Riviera”
One of the most
successful social services
for adults with mental
disabilities, delegated by
the state is the Day-care
Center “Riviera” with 45
places, opened as a
result of succesful interinstitutional
collaboration and
participation of civil
society.
Union Of Bulgarian Black Sea Local Authorities
www.ubbsla.org
Information Centre
for social services
With the assistance of the Social
Program, another international
project have been implemented
by Varna Municipality in
partnership with its sister-city
Dordrecht - establishing an
Information Centre for social
services
Total project budget: €70,000
Union Of Bulgarian Black Sea Local Authorities
www.ubbsla.org
Social services for elderly people, funded by the
budget of the Social Program of Varna Municipality
* Public dining room
with capacity of 550 seats
* Home respite care
with capacity for
500 people
* “Home Care” Center
with capacity for 70 people
Union Of Bulgarian Black Sea Local Authorities
www.ubbsla.org
* Centre for social rehabilitation
of older women
with capacity of 45 people
* Centre for social rehabilitation
and integration for adults with
speech impediment
Union Of Bulgarian Black Sea Local Authorities
www.ubbsla.org
The main priority of the Social Policy of Varna Municipality
is to ensure every year sustainability of the identified
social services, to allocate more funds from the municipal
budget to improve the quality of care and to create new
social services, through implementation of new social
projects.
Union Of Bulgarian Black Sea Local Authorities
www.ubbsla.org
THE UNION OF BULGARIAN BLACK
SEA LOCAL AUTHORITIES (UBBSLA)
Address:
9000 Varna, Bulgaria
4 Preslav Str.
+ 359 52 600 266
coordinator@ubbsla.org
www.ubbsla.org
Union Of Bulgarian Black Sea Local Authorities
www.ubbsla.org