Supportive Environment – a program for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities

The supportive environment program is a community based program under the auspices of the Community Services Division of the Disabilities Administration in the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs and Services. It offers an alternative to out-of-the-home placement for adults with intellectual disabilities. The program, established ten years ago, is now serving approximately 630 people, supervised by 40 counselors, in 45 municipalities throughout Israel.
The program provides guidance, support, and auxiliary services for men and women, including at-risk populations, age 21 and over with IDD who live by themselves or with aging parents in the community. The goal of the program is to enable these people to live at home, in the community, for as long as possible.
The following video demonstrates the unique aspects of the supportive environment program as they are tailored to the individual needs of each participant, while taking into consideration his or her choice of utilizing the various existing programs in the community. The program operates in conjunction with the social service departments in each community, and it is unique in its ability to promote advancement and inclusion of those individuals who have yet to participate in the various local service programs. It offers support which is based on a personalized relationship between the service providers and the participants and is tailored to the needs of each person.

This short film was produced with the support of the Shalem Fund

– To the program’s policy paper
– To the evaluation study

Produced, directed and edited by Yoav Kleinman, 2018.