Sendai City Collaborative Project 'Honopeer' Implements 120 Consultations, 74 Broadcasts, 3 Face-to-Face Exchanges in FY2025 - Realizing Diverse Connections for Families of Children and Adults with Medical Care Needs through Peer Support

'Honopeer' is a project that establishes diverse points of connection for families of children and adults with medical care needs and severe motor and intellectual disabilities, by combining online outreach, individual consultations, and face-to-face exchanges. In FY2025, the project conducted 120 consultations, 74 live broadcasts, and 3 face-to-face exchange events, creating 31 new connections.

Sendai City (Health and Welfare Bureau, Disability Support Division) and Ainomi Social Welfare Corporation's collaborative project 'Honopeer (common name)'

While systems and support resources are being developed, families often struggle to access necessary information and connections. This project addresses this reality by concretizing support points centered on peer support, leveraging the experiential knowledge of families. Peer support, where families with similar backgrounds and experiences support each other, was implemented in various forms, linking it with information dissemination, consultation, and exchange functions.

Online Outreach: Forming Continuously Accessible Entry Points

In FY2025, the 'Honopeer' portal site was built and launched, providing continuous information dissemination.

As of March 23, 2026, "Announcement of 73rd & 74th Live Broadcasts" was posted, and 74 live broadcasts were announced and conducted within the fiscal year.

Broadcast themes included "Everyone's Ingenuity Showcase," "Future Facility Placement?," "Returning to Work? Balancing Work and Life," "How to Deal with Siblings?," and "First Discharge from NICU/Hospital Ward," covering topics relevant to families' actual concerns such as daily life, career paths, employment, sibling support, and post-discharge life.

The Instagram account "@hono.peer" had 85 posts and 439 followers as of March 27, 2026, functioning as a continuous information touchpoint.

Individual Consultations: Addressing Complex Issues Both In-Person and Online

A total of 120 individual consultations were conducted during the fiscal year. Multiple convenient methods were offered, including in-person, email, direct message (DM), and phone.

Family counselors who also care for family members with medical care needs or severe motor and intellectual disabilities

Regarding the target of reaching 36 families who had no prior contact with Ainomi, 31 families were reached as of March 27, 2026. Inflow channels included "acquaintances" (47 cases), "saw on SNS" (27 cases), "saw on website" (5 cases), "saw flyer" (4 cases), and "heard from supporters" (5 cases), indicating that a referral system not solely dependent on word-of-mouth has been established.

Consultation topics were diverse, covering medical care, hospitals, schools, family, and services in use, addressing life challenges that cannot be resolved by simply providing information about systems.

Face-to-Face Exchanges: 'Honopeer Real' Held 3 Times Annually

Three 'Honopeer Real' face-to-face exchange events were planned and held in FY2025. Each event had approximately 25 participants.

'Honopeer Real' image

1st Session: "Daily Troubles" July 9, 2025 / Izumi Ward

2nd Session: "What Should I Prepare for School Enrollment? What's Life Like After Graduation?" October 29, 2025 / Aoba Ward

3rd Session: "When I Knew My Child Had a Disability... How Did I Overcome Feelings of Sadness and Worry?" January 28, 2026 / Wakabayashi Ward

Each session went beyond explaining systems, addressing themes closer to families' real experiences, such as daily life ingenuity, prospects for higher education and post-graduation life, and acceptance of disability and emotional fluctuations.

Voices of Users and Supporters: "A Safe Place" Leads to the Next Step

Participants of 'Honopeer Real' shared comments such as:

"We immediately empathized with each other, so it doesn't feel like we just met today." "I was a 'search addict' every night, researching things, and then Honopeer appeared." "I realized I wasn't the only one who didn't understand and was struggling." "If I go to Honopeer, Mr./Ms. XX (family counselor) is there. I found a safe place."

Online, there was also feedback like: "Just seeing other people's comments gives me courage, making me feel like 'I'm not the only one struggling'."

Furthermore, supporters who participated in 'Honopeer Real' commented: "The story about 'realizing it had become everyday life' regarding disability acceptance was very impressive." "I realized that online outreach, such as on SNS, is also a lifeline for those who cannot come to the venue."

Scene from 'Honopeer Real' event (Izumi Ward, Machizukuri Spot Sendai)

FY2026: Strengthening Early Connection and Support Pathways

The 'Honopeer' project has been approved for continuation in FY2026. Next fiscal year, key initiatives will include strengthening early connections from the preschool period, enhancing collaboration with supporters, expanding entry points for consultations and exchanges, and optimizing notification and consultation tools.

Building on the support pathways established in FY2025, efforts will be made to create an environment where families can connect with information, people, and support at an earlier stage.

Glossary

Children and Adults with Medical Care Needs Children and adults who require continuous medical care in their daily lives, such as tracheal suction, tube feeding, and ventilator management.

Children and Adults with Severe Motor and Intellectual Disabilities Individuals who have both severe physical disabilities and severe intellectual disabilities.

Peer Support An initiative where people with similar backgrounds and experiences support each other by sharing their experiences and feelings.

Citizen Collaboration Project Proposal System A system in which the city and proposing organizations (such as citizen activity groups or corporations) collaborate to implement projects based on proposals aimed at solving local issues.

Project Overview

The Sendai City Citizen Collaboration Project Proposal System is a system where the city and proposing organizations collaborate to implement projects aimed at solving local issues. 'Honopeer' was implemented in FY2025 as a collaborative project between Sendai City and Ainomi Social Welfare Corporation, working to establish a foundation for consultation, exchange, and information dissemination for families of children and adults with medical care needs and severe motor and intellectual disabilities.

【Contact Information】 Honopeer Secretariat (Ainomi Social Welfare Corporation / Cafe de Chirmil) TEL: 022-785-9440 MAIL: honopeer@ainomi.com