People with developmental disabilities shouldn’t have to wait for the services they need – fund community living now!
Community living services in Guelph and Wellington and Dufferin counties are in desperate need of funding.
The provincial government put an extra $810 million into developmental services three years ago, but not a penny went into the base budgets of agencies like Community Living Guelph Wellington and Community Living Dufferin.
In fact, their base funding has been frozen for the past seven years.
In the City of Guelph and the counties of Wellington and Dufferin, community living services are hurting.
- There aren’t enough residential spots for people who need support to live independently.
- Programs, services, staffing and support hours have all been cut.
- Agencies don’t have enough funding to meet their pay equity obligations – even though most community living employees are women.
- Sheltered workshops are closing because of recent legislation, with nothing to replace them.
Meanwhile, the needs of many people with developmental disabilities are increasing. They have mental and physical health conditions that are increasingly complex. They are ageing and so are the family members who support them.
People with developmental disabilities shouldn’t be disadvantaged because of a lack of funding or legislative requirements.
