Welfare Division, Welfare Department, Niimi City
Sosuke Yoshida

1. Overview of Niimi City

Niimi City is located in the northwestern part of Okayama Prefecture, in the mountains of the Chugoku region. It is the second largest city in the prefecture. In addition to abundant nature such as limestone caves and marshlands, there are also plenty of gourmet foods such as Chiya beef, caviar, and pione.

The population of the city is 27,283 (as of the end of November 2022); the young population (under 15 years old) is 2,408, and the elderly population (65 years old and over) is 11,670. It is a city of declining birthrate and an aging population with the aging rate exceeding 40%. On the other hand, as the city introduced ICT education early on, programming education is flourishing. In 2018 it won second place in the world at the World Robot Summit.

The number of people with a Handbook for Persons with Disabilities in the city is 1,650 and about 278 persons with disabilities are users of welfare services (as of the end of November 2022). Year by year, the number of users of the services is increasing. Moreover, there is an increasing number of elderly people with disabilities who live alone, or those who live with elderly family members who, because of age, are limited in their ability to care for them. Under such circumstances, there are several social welfare corporations that operate support facilities for persons with disabilities in the city, playing an important role in supporting them in the community.

2. History of the Community Life Support Center

In Niimi City we have Okayama-ken Kenko-no-Mori Gakuen, which has a support facility for persons with intellectual disabilities and a school for special needs education. People in this area have always had a good understanding of persons with disabilities. There was a time when social resources for persons with mental disabilities were scarce. In 2002, in response to requests from people with mental disorders, their families, and supporters who wished, “If only there were more social resources...,” the establishment of a life support center was considered. Initially, it was planned as a social resource for people with mental disabilities. However, with the enactment of the Services and Support for Persons with Disabilities Act, in October 2006, the “Hohoemi Hiroba (Smile Square) Niimi,” a community activity support center for persons with disabilities, was opened. This center is directly managed by the city government and it is for persons with three different types of disabilities, including physical and intellectual disabilities. In those days, there was no such word as a community life support center. However, since it has provided one-stop services where people with disabilities could come and consult about anything, such as daily life, work, referral to hospitals and relevant facilities, it has played the role of a community life support center since its opening.

Furthermore, the same building houses a satellite clinic of a psychiatric hospital, a child development support office, a daytime temporary support office, a community activity support center type III, and a work/life support center for persons with disabilities. Taking advantage of being directly managed by the city, it is possible to apply for medical services and support, and for a Handbook for Persons with Disabilities immediately after the medical examination, which adds convenience to the users.

It is open from Sunday to Friday from 9:00 to 18:00. During the night and on Saturdays, city hall’s personnel on duty temporarily handles cases. In case the person in charge of welfare for persons with disabilities in the Welfare Division finds a case urgent, he/she shall contact the Hohoemi Hiroba Niimi, which connects them to the right place.

On Sundays, it also functions as a community salon called “Hohoemi Sunday,” which holds weekly leisure activities for persons with disabilities.” Before the COVID-19 pandemic, we held activities, such as summer festivals and rice cake pounding events. Many people with and without disabilities who participated in these activities wore smiles on their faces. It was such a fun activity that we received inquiries about this event every year from those who participated before. So, if possible, we would like to continue holding this event in the future.

3. Hohoemi Hiroba Niimi Initiatives

① Consultation Support

The Hohoemi Hiroba Niimi is directly managed by the city. Some of the administrative staff are city employees, while others are lent out from organizations such as support facilities for persons with disabilities in the city. Thus, a close system of cooperation has been established between the city and the organizations. In addition, the staff includes professional consultants, such as mental health social workers and certified public psychologists, making it a one-stop consultation service that anyone can use, including those who are not registered users of welfare services for persons with disabilities. For this reason, the Hohoemi Hiroba Niimi has become a community life support center with a comprehensive service system.

② Admission to welfare facilities in case of an emergency

As stated above, we have a strong relationship with the support facilities for persons with disabilities in the city because they lend staff members to us. In case the Hohoemi Hiroba Niimi or the city hall receives an emergency request for a short-term admission, our staff members coordinate and cooperate with the consultation support specialists to prepare for admission.

③ Opportunities for independent living

I get a lot of inquiries from persons who want to work. As we are also collaborating with the public employment security office, there are cases where they are referred to us by this office. The Hohoemi Hiroba Niimi also houses the work/life support center for persons with disabilities, which serves as a link between persons with disabilities and companies that are considering employing persons with disabilities. In addition, together with the staff of Hohoemi Hiroba Niimi, we in the city hall give attention to detail as we follow up on persons with disabilities who are already employed.

We receive requests for consultation from persons with disabilities who want to live alone and from parents who want to let them live alone. In such cases, we give them opportunities to try to stay in a group home by collaborating with a facility for persons with disabilities in the city. We also receive consultation about living in an apartment with the cooperation of a real estate company in the city.

④ Building a community system

The Hohoemi Hiroba Niimi serves as the secretariat of the Niimi City Council for the Support of Independence for Persons with Disabilities. The Council has a community life support subcommittee and a child support subcommittee, each of which raises local issues related to persons/children with disabilities, and comes up with the idea of generating social resources, as well as the holding of seminars. A support staff member for persons with disabilities from the Hohoemi Hiroba Niimi is in charge of each subcommittee and acts as a coordinator, contacting and coordinating with related organizations, as necessary. In the Independence Support Council, persons with disabilities and the supporters of persons/children with disabilities meet all together. Once they all get acquainted with one another, that can arrive at a level of relationship in which they are able to help each other in case of a difficulty.

Furthermore, the Council holds the Niimi Welfare Forum for information dissemination and awareness enhancement. Although it has not been held for the past three years due to COVID-19, the Council conducts various activities, such as displaying panel boards related to the facilities for persons with disabilities in the city, selling bread and udon noodles, selling steamed rice by the Niimi City Women’s Association, as well as holding lectures relative to the welfare of persons with disabilities, thus providing many citizens with opportunities to know more about the lives of persons with disabilities.

⑤ Securing and training professional human resources

Each subcommittee of the Independence Support Council holds seminars on the prevention of abuse of persons with disabilities and the handling of small children with disabilities. We ask a university in the city and the Prefectural Support Center for People with Developmental Disabilities to provide lecturers for the seminars.

4. Future Tasks

Residential support: I think that there is a problem with the support system when persons with disabilities, who have been away from Niimi City due to long-term hospitalization, return to the community. It is necessary for the system to consider the time when they return. Regarding the use of home caregivers, I hear that caregivers for the elderly tend to avoid working for persons with disabilities at home as it is difficult to deal with them. To address this matter, the Council currently holds meetings that include the departments of the city government related to nursing care.

Support for children/adults requiring constant medical care: When a person in need of constant medical care seeks support, one factor that makes it difficult is the distance from Niimi City to the specialized institutions in major cities, such as Okayama City and Kurashiki City. Therefore, we are trying to come up with a good way to provide support that is readily available in our immediate surroundings with the cooperation of related departments and support facilities.