Penza, 14 November 2014. PenzaNews. The Channel One film crew made a TV report about the disabled people who live in “Kvartal Louie,” a one-of-a-kind Russian institution that opened its doors early November.

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As the representative of the Penza Orthodox Church diocese told PenzaNews agency, the film crew featured the reporter Kseniya Nazarova, the camera operator Pavel Letuvet, and the maintenance man Sergei Suvorov.

“The Penza diocese led by Metropolitan Serafim of Penza and Nizhny Lomov works closely with the charity organization ‘Blagovest’ and supports the social adaptation project for wheelchair persons. We are currently deciding on opening a shop that will sell goods made by the young people: they will be making gift soaps, scrapbooking crafts and other hand-made items,” said the agency interlocutor.

He reminded that currently the adaptation center houses 6 people aged 18-30. Four of them are already employed in a print shop, using the working space provided by the Penza diocese.

“The unique project has already attracted 1.5 mln rubles of sponsored money, and 400,000 rubles from the Ministry of Labor. They need 2.9 mln rubles to buy out the house. Moreover, the wheelchair users need a special bus that costs 1,546,000 rubles. At present, the total monthly upkeep for the young people is 65,000 rubles, spread over education courses, transportation expenses, food, clothing, household goods, etc. Each project participant pays 50% of his or her pension (about 6,000 rubles) as an upkeep, and they are trying to earn the money on their own,” the diocese representative explained.

According to him, the TV newspiece about “Kvartal Louie” will be aired on “Channel One” in the nearest future.

The Penza-based social and education center for special needs people “Kvartal Louie,” which opened on November 1, aims to provide lodging, education and jobs to its participants.

Each member of the commune will be able to continue his or her education through an individual program. For some, it will be an evening school with the aim to pass USE and apply for a university or college course; for some, it will be a series of special professional courses. The habitation cycle will also involve social adaptation training. The program aims to ensure the continuity of education with integration with outside life.

“Kvartal Louie” inhabitants will be able to plan for their own everyday and personal lives on their own and with the help of each other.

Jobs will be an integral part of the commune’s life. The special needs people will be able to work in their own typography, creative workshop and charity projects, with the plans to expand their range of jobs in the future.

According to the project plans, 3-4 years in the commune will be sufficient to allow every project participant a chance to build his or her own plans for career path. The best success for a participant, according to the project creators, would be obtaining and living in a personal flat, or finding a foster family, as well as getting married.

The overall 2014-2015 budget for the project amounts to 3.5 mln rubles.