HOUSING

• Approximately 70,000 people in Ontario live with a developmental disability. They are supported by over 200 agencies funded by the provincial government to provide housing, day programs, employment training, and other services.
• In 2014, nearly as many people living with developmental disabilities were on the wait list for suitable supportive housing (13,000) as were currently living in appropriate housing in Ontario (15,246)
• Between 2014 and 2016, only 800 adults received the needed housing support – a mere 6% of the 2014 wait list.
• Each year, the housing waitlist grows by about 1,200 every year.

Ontario Agencies Supporting Individuals with Special Needs (OASIS) is a member-driven organisation, formed to, amongst other things, share information and resources as well as to liaise with government and advocate as one group on behalf of all its member agencies. OASIS’ 190+ member agencies are in every town and city across the province and serve over 65,000 individuals with developmental disabilities and employ 25,000 full and part-time staff. OASIS member agencies currently provide more than 85% of all developmental services in Ontario.

There is an urgent need to address the deepening housing crisis for people in Ontario living with developmental disabilities. The experience of the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates the critical importance of appropriate housing for individuals living with developmental disabilities, both to keep them healthy while allowing them to live safe, fulfilling lives in a supported environment. Yet for over a decade, Ontario’s provincial investment in developmental services housing has been virtually frozen despite the large and growing need, driven by aging caregivers and changing complexity of existing cases. Wait times for supportive housing are 10 times longer for those with a developmental disability compared to those waiting for affordable housing.

In 2014, 15,246 people with intellectual disabilities were living in appropriate A further 13,000 were waiting for housing. Since then, the waitlist has grown by about 1,200 every year. As a result:

• thousands of young people are living in long-term care or alternate level of care beds in hospitals, occupying expensive, inappropriate, and desperately needed bed spaces.
• Appropriate housing helps to keep people healthy while allowing them to live safe, fulfilling lives in a supported environment.
• It also means that they can access care in their communities, rather than leaning on emergency supports such as hospital and long-term care.

Addressing the housing gap for individuals living with developmental disabilities, and providing the necessary capital investment, is a foundational need if sustainable sector reform is to be achieved. Although developmental services housing was included as an eligible funding recipient under the National Housing Strategy, very little of the Phase 1 funding provided to municipalities to expand this desperately needed housing, as it was not specifically prioritized in the province’s program design. By prioritizing and requiring that a portion of funds be dedicated to DS supportive housing, local municipalities and developmental services agencies can work together to determine how funds are used locally to address housing needs for adults living with developmental disabilities.

Solution:

• There is an immediate opportunity to meet this significant need by earmarking 10% of funding in the upcoming phase (anticipated to launch in 2023) of the Canada-Ontario National Housing Strategy Bilateral Agreement to support the construction and rehabilitation of developmental services supportive housing.
• By prioritizing and requiring that a portion of funds be dedicated to DS supportive housing, local municipalities and developmental services agencies can work together to determine how funds are used locally to address housing needs for adults living with developmental disabilities.
• Complex regulations and zoning processes in municipalities across the province can hinder the development of inclusive housing options. We need to work with municipalities to adopt best practices for zoning bylaws that empower housing for individuals with developmental disabilities.