Through its programs and services, the Ministry of Community and Social Services:

• helps adults with a developmental disability live, work and participate in a range of community activities,
• enforces support orders issued by the courts so that families get the money to which they are entitled,
• promotes accessibility and works to break down barriers that prevent people with disabilities from fully participating in the social and economic life of Ontario, and
• helps Ontarians recover from hardship and regain control of their lives.

Our responsibilities fall into the following categories:

Social assistance

Ontario has two different social assistance programs:

• Ontario Works provides income and employment supports to people who are in temporary financial need, and
• Ontario Disability Support Program provides income and employment supports to people with disabilities.

Programs for adults with a developmental disability

Working with community agencies, we fund services and supports for people who:

• are 18 years of age and older, and
• have a developmental disability.

Community services

We fund community-based supports that help:

• victims of domestic violence and their children
• people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless
• people who are Deaf, deafened, hard of hearing or deaf-blind, and
• Aboriginal peoples.

Working with the Ministry of Government Services, we support Ontario's adoption information laws that:

• give adults and birth parents access to information from birth and adoption records, and
• at the same time, safeguard their right to privacy.

Child and spousal support orders

Through the Family Responsibility Office, we collect and distribute court-ordered child and spousal support payments.

Accessibility standards enforcement and awareness

Through the Accessibility Directorate of Ontario, we work with the disability, private and public sectors to:

• develop and enforce accessibility standards, and
• promote accessibility awareness throughout Ontario.

Learn more Organizational chart of the Ministry of Community and Social Services Our commitment to service excellence