Community Living Campbellford/Brighton has three people in need of homes
BY: Roderick Benns
DATE: Tuesday, June 29, 2004
Community Living Campbellford/Brighton recently held a news conference, appealing for family home providers for three individuals.
Executive Director Chris Grayson says he needed to draw attention to the fact these three people need a place to live, as their caregivers have given notice after a long-time association with the individuals.
Chris says someone has usually stepped up to the plate in times past, but what is happening is symptomatic of the larger issue of aging parents in the province. “It’s a problem associations are going to see more often,” he says.
“We’ve never had to make this plea before” in the 15 years the association has been involved in the program, he adds.
Family providers and individuals are together for at least six years, on average, with the ideal situation being one individual per family.
One problem Chris has identified, he says, is the fact that Community Living Campbellford/Brighton has the lowest per diem rate in central-eastern Ontario. Chris says the Province needs to give more money to the association so it can catch up.
The way it works is an individual pays a percentage of their Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) dollars and the association pays a per-day rate. Chris says the stipend from the association can increase only with help from the Province.
The executive director recently attended a session at Queen’s Park with a provincial organization looking at the overall approach for housing options for people with intellectual disabilities.
Chris says he hopes the group will recommend moving toward a model like the family home provider one that currently exists. This will help to get away from the group home construct that still exists, to some degree, in some associations. From an inclusion perspective, says Chris, it makes the most sense.
Currently there are 24 individuals who access services through Community Living Campbellford/Brighton who receive family home support.
