A Mother’s Nearly 20-Year Wait for Support | Ontario’s Developmental Services Crisis

Описание: CityNews visited Community Living Oakville to speak with Sally and our Executive Director, Alexandra, about a growing issue that can no longer be ignored.

People with developmental disabilities and the agencies that support them are facing a funding crisis that has been building for decades.

For over 30 years, the developmental services sector has experienced chronic underfunding. During that same time, the cost of living has increased by nearly 60%, while our sector has seen only about 7% in cumulative funding increases. The result? Program closures, reduced staffing, and families left without essential supports.

The system, as it stands, is no longer sustainable.

At the same time, the needs of people supported are changing. Many are ageing and require more complex care, yet funding has not kept pace. Meanwhile, more than 53,000 people across Ontario remain on waitlists for developmental services — some waiting for decades.

This is why we are calling on the Government of Ontario to take immediate action in the upcoming budget cycle by:
• Increasing annualized base funding
• Providing full Passport funding allocations to all those eligible
• Address the growing and urgent waitlists for services

Immediate government action is needed so people with developmental disabilities are not forgotten and agencies can continue to operate sustainably.

This conversation is part of the province-wide #WaitingToBelong campaign led by CLOntario to bring attention to the urgent need for sustainable funding in developmental services.

Watch, share, and help us raise awareness. People with developmental disabilities deserve better.

#WaitingToBelong #DevelopmentalServices #CommunityLivingOakville #DreamInspireBelong