The Jelgava State City Municipality, implementing a project supported by the European Union Recovery and Resilience Facility, has adapted the surroundings of the home of Alvis, a Jelgava resident who uses a wheelchair following an injury. Paved pathways have been installed around his home, access points have been adapted, and remotely operated courtyard gates have been installed, allowing Alvis to be more independent in his daily life.
“Jelgava is my city. I was born here, I have lived, studied and worked here. Basically, my whole life is here, and I have never considered moving anywhere else,” says Alvis, who proudly calls himself a Jelgava resident.
Before his injury, Alvis led a very active life. He worked as a production manager at a local company, was involved in forestry, participated in hunting and business clubs, and cooperated with Jelgava Technical School. After the accident, which left the lower part of his body paralysed, his everyday life changed significantly.
“After the injury, I felt like a bird that had been flying through the air and was suddenly knocked to the ground. And then you can’t get anywhere anymore. The first year was very difficult. You can’t move, there is so much you don’t know and so much you don’t understand,” he recalls.
Accustomed to planning everything in his professional life, Alvis also approached his recovery as a purposeful process of working on himself.
“I treated myself as a separate project. Then I set myself small goals – to accomplish one thing, and then another. If you can’t do something one way, you figure out how you can.”
One of the major obstacles in Alvis’s daily life suddenly became the area surrounding his home. Most of the courtyard was covered with grass, making it impossible to move around in a wheelchair, while thresholds and steps made access to the house and outbuildings difficult.
Alvis first came into contact with the Jelgava State City Municipality Social Service when applying for an assistant service. Social workers assessed his home, discussed his needs and informed him about the support available. Among the options offered was the opportunity to participate in a European Union Recovery and Resilience Facility project overseen by the Ministry of Welfare to improve accessibility in and around the home.
Under the European Union Recovery and Resilience Facility project, paved pathways were planned and installed around Alvis’s home, step-free access points were created, and a solution was found for the courtyard gates, which can now be opened and closed remotely. These adaptations allow Alvis to rely less on assistance from others.
Alvis continues to work and is also returning to other activities that are important to him. His experience demonstrates how an accessible home environment can enable a person with reduced mobility to live more independently, remain active and participate more fully in society.
The EU Recovery and Resilience Facility investment “Support Measures to Ensure Housing Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities”, overseen by the Ministry of Welfare, aims, with the involvement of municipalities, to improve accessibility in the homes of more than 200 people with reduced mobility across Latvia by the end of summer 2026. At the heart of this investment is the individual – ensuring that everyone, regardless of functional limitations, has the opportunity to live as independently as possible and participate fully in society. Because every person matters.
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