Now officially, at the end of 2024, the city of Bijeljina has taken a significant step towards improving the quality of life of people with disabilities. At the Constitutive Session of the City Assembly, held on December 31, 2024, the Draft Budget for 2025 was adopted, in which 60,000 KM is planned for personal assistance services. This decision puts the city of Bijeljina side by side with Banja Luka and Prijedor, cities in which personal assistance services already exist.

The initiative to introduce personal assistance results from months of efforts by local organizations of people with disabilities, led by the Association of Women with Disabilities "Impuls". A significant step was the adoption of the Rules on the Rules on Providing Personal Assistance Services by the Social Welfare Center Bijeljina Bijeljina, which defined the criteria, procedures, and method of financing the service.

Representatives of the Association "Impuls" expressed their satisfaction with the success of their joint work: "To be honest, it is now a pleasure to enjoy the result of our initiative. When we started, we were optimistic and knew that we would achieve this result. Organizations of people with disabilities bear to some extent both an obligation and a responsibility towards their users for tomorrow to provide them with this service and not to deny them this right. We are all open to discussion and hope that this process will continue."

The funds provided in the budget open the door to the next steps. The Public Institution Social Work Center Bijeljina will soon issue a public call for organizations that will provide personal assistance services. After the selection of service providers, personal assistance will finally become available to users.

Support for personal assistance has broad support from people with disabilities and the organizations that bring them together. This is just the beginning of Bijeljina's transformation into an inclusive community that sets standards for other cities in the region.