Support system for Ontarians with developmental disabilities on 'verge of collapse': coalition

Ontario's system to support people with developmental disabilities is "on the verge of collapse" because of low funding, according to several agencies that have formed a coalition to call on the provincial government to act. 

According to the coalition, 52,000 Ontarians are on waitlists for developmental supports and services, including about 5,000 in eastern Ontario and Ottawa.

Melanie Groulx is among those waitlisted. She's an Ottawa resident who has autism and high support needs, and she's been on the emergency waitlist for supportive housing for four years.

Her mother, Carrie Groulx, said one question haunts her: "What's going to happen to my child after I'm gone?"

Groulx blamed underfunding for her daughter's long wait and the lack of programs, and the coalition agrees.

"We are starting to feel like the system is on the verge of collapse if significant steps aren't taken," wrote coalition spokesperson Teresa Kruze in an email to CBC.

'She's a person too'

Groulx said her daughter needs help for many daily tasks, like packing for her day — though she has been able to teach her to do some things independently, like getting out of bed and getting dressed.

"It's like dealing with a toddler for 22 years," she said.

While she waits to get into supportive housing, Melanie Groulx spends part of the week at a day program in Kanata called Bloom.

That's a relief, said Carrie Groulx, but some parents don't even have that. 

"They're in limbo, they can't find a day program," she said. "The reason why there's not 5,000 people behind me right now is because they're all busy looking after their children." 

But even Bloom isn't the solution, with her daughter needing a permanent, stable home, Groulx said.

"I need to feel before I'm gone that I can set her up to succeed in the group home, to help out with things there and make her feel comfortable. Because she's a person too," she said.

1993 funding, 2025 problems

The agencies that support people like Melanie Groulx have been making due with less and less money each year, according to David Ferguson, the CEO of the Ottawa-Carleton Association for Persons with Developmental Disabilities (OCAPDD).

OCAPDD has programs to help people with disabilities find housing, access employment or just have fun, said Ferguson, adding these services are "crucial to many families."

But the province has only increased funding for developmental support agencies by around seven percent since 1993, he said, which hasn't kept up with the cost of living.

"You have to look for savings program reductions, program closures, elimination of positions, keeping positions empty," he said. 

Another supportive community, L'Arche Ottawa, is supporting fewer people despite the fact demand is growing, said John Rietschlin, chair of their board of directors.

"Imagine trying to live in your own home with the salary that you might have earned in 1993 [but] with the expenses of 2025," he said. "That's the reality that we're facing." 

OCAPDD and L'Arche Ottawa are among the agencies calling on the government for funding, and Carrie Groulx agrees it's urgently needed. 

"Most of us [parents] are losing our balance and are looking for support," she said. "This is an emergency now."

In an emailed statement, the Ontario Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services told Radio-Canada that it invested $90 million over three years in the 2024 budget for community organizations focused on developmental support.

According to the coalition's press release, the $90 million was a "positive step" because it represented a three per cent increase but is insufficient to address longstanding problems.