Introduction: the potential of the Autonomy Voucher from a social innovation perspective

This chapter analyses, from the perspective of social innovation, the implementation of the Autonomy Voucher (Voucher Autonomia ), a programme launched in 2015 by Lombardy Region (Regione Lombardia) as part of a package of measures, the autonomy income, aimed at preventing and reducing the risk of poverty and social exclusion. More specifically, the voucher was included in the 2014–20 Regional Operational Programme co-financed with resources from the European Social Fund (ESF) and has now come to its third round. The measure is means-tested and targets two specific categories of low-income beneficiaries: (1) elderly people with mild to moderate functional impairments or caregivers of non-self-sufficient people (elderly vouchers) and (2) young people and adults with disabilities or impairments that do not preclude the possibility of acquiring social skills and personal autonomy (disability vouchers). The main goals are to promote the maintenance of personal autonomy, the development of skills and active inclusion, and to prevent the institutionalisation of the elderly and of people with disabilities in vulnerable socio-economic conditions and of those exposed to a greater risk of social exclusion and poverty. To this end, the voucher entitles the recipient to a personalised set of projects which provide access to services available in the district and that are aimed at maintaining and developing personal autonomy, staying at home and developing skills for social inclusion. Over the course of the three rounds considered here, over 2,000 projects have been launched for both the elderly and people with disabilities.

Drawing from this, the chapter contends that the Autonomy Voucher exhibits some potential elements of social innovation in two main respects. The first concerns its target, namely people with mild and moderate impairments who are often overlooked by public social policies, which commonly address more serious impairments. The second has to do with its scope, and specifically the goal of maintaining the autonomy of individuals in order to delay institutionalisation as much as possible. More specifically, residents interested in receiving the voucher first apply to their municipality of residence.