Issue 25 – June 2011

2011 Ontario Budget Bulletin

Helping more people, tackling waitlists

In our last issue of Spotlight, we told you that the 2011 Ontario Budget set aside an additional $40 million for developmental services.

We have some more detail now to share with you about how we will be investing those funds.

You'll remember that $25 million will go to people who need support urgently. They will include people with aging parents who can no longer care for them and adults who are leaving the care of a children's aid society.

These funds may be used for residential services or day programming. We expect to help about 250 more people with this portion of the Budget investment.

The other $15 million will help about 1,910 more people through Passport and Special Services at Home. We are distributing the funding to help an equal number of people through each program.

This means we will cut more than 20 per cent of the waitlist for Passport. For Special Services at Home, this funding will help reduce the waitlist by more than 25 per cent this year.

The ministry's regional offices now have their funding information for this year's Budget investments. Agencies can expect to hear from them shortly about moving forward with planning and decision-making in local communities.

Passport

The Passport program helps adults with a developmental disability who have left school find more ways to participate in their communities. Passport:

• encourages independence
• eases the transition from school to life as an adult in the community
• builds social, emotional and community participation skills, and
• promotes continuing education and personal development.

Through Passport, people can receive funding for activities that help them:

• grow personally
• use community programs
• develop work and volunteer skills
• join local clubs, and
• reach their goals.

Ontario will invest almost $45 million in Passport this year for more than 3,700 adults.

Special Services at Home

Special Services at Home helps adults with a developmental disability get supports both inside and outside the family home, as long as they don’t receive support from a residential program.

Through Special Services at Home, individuals can receive funding to hire someone to help them learn new skills or participate in their community through such things as recreational activities and volunteer work.

Families can also get funding to pay for services that give them a break (or "respite") from providing day-to-day care.

This year, Ontario will invest almost $103 million in Special Services at Home to help about 25,000 individuals.

Minister celebrates community living

On Tuesday, May 3, 2011, Community Living Toronto held its annual Appetite for Awareness. The event celebrates people with a developmental disability and the contributions they make to the community.

Volunteers from the campaign delivered a special lunch to Minister of Community and Social Services Madeleine Meilleur and other members of provincial parliament.

Minister Meilleur said she was pleased to take part and help promote awareness about community living.  "This event just goes to show that encouraging independence and promoting inclusion really is the best kind of support," said Meilleur.

Q&A

Q:        Who are people in need of urgent service?

A:        People in need of urgent service are people with a developmental disability who, for example:

• can no longer be cared for by their aging parents
• have complex and specialized needs (for example, they have extreme behaviour challenges or intensive personal care support needs), or
• are reaching adulthood and can no longer receive service from a children’s aid society.