BCACL letter to Minister clarifying comments made in the Legislature

NDP Opposition Critics asked the provincial government today why families and individuals were being denied urgent supports and services. BCACL representatives met with Minister Bloy on Monday April 4, 2011 of this year to express our concerns with insufficient funding for Community Living BC (CLBC).

We are concerned that our comments from that meeting were taken out of context and have sent the following letter to Minister Bloy:

Honourable Harry Bloy
Minister for Social Development
Room 124
Parliament Buildings
Victoria, BC
V8V 1X4

May 3, 2011

Dear Minister Bloy,

We listened with interest in the Legislature today as you referred to our meeting with you on April 4, 2011. I would like to take this opportunity to clarify and reiterate our concerns with CLBC funding and the impacts of "service redesign."

You stated in the Legislature today that:

“In my meetings with the British Columbia Association for Community Living, Faith Bodnar and some of the families associated with them talked about the great work that Community Living British Columbia does. In fact, they were recognized as the leader across Canada in the work that Community Living B.C. does.”

During our recent meeting, I stated and rightly so that British Columbia has been a leader in providing innovative, person centered supports and services for decades. In fact other jurisdictions look to us for some of the most progressive legislation, policy and practice in the area of developmental disability. The reality that this legacy is in serious jeopardy should be of grave concern for us all. Insufficient funding to CLBC has meant reacting to crisis only and the real danger of relegating people to lives of isolation and subsistence as their supports and services are cut. As this downslide progresses, the capacity of BCACL members to respond is also being stripped away. Our vision of providing a good life in community for people with developmental disabilities and their families is being challenged in fundamental ways on all fronts. We must ask ourselves if we are prepared to risk all we have accomplished in the last 55 years because our government lacks the vision to invest responsibly in the supports and services they need and deserve.

You continued to state today that:

“Community Living British Columbia has not cut its budget. It has increased by $13 million over the last year, and it continues to work with innovative approaches to help all individuals.”

As we explained in our meeting, that modest increase in funding has not been allocated to funding services for newly eligible youth transitioning into adulthood. It is targeted at pilot project that will have no impact on waitlists. This is why so many new families are coming to us in desperation, having been told that there are absolutely no supports available to them, with no light at the end of the tunnel.

Community Living BC has a vision and goals that are admirable and achievable, with talented staff members who do good work. However, at our meeting with you we also stressed that CLBC's capacity to support innovation has been severely compromised as a result of lack of funding. As a response, "service redesign" is flawed and inconsistent. For people with developmental disabilities and their families it has created uncertainty, desperation, vulnerability and real suffering as they experience cuts to services or are placed on waitlists without hope. Even in the face of cuts and subsequent concerns about the health and safety of their loved ones, many families have told us that they will not speak up for fear of losing what they do have. Families who have supports and services are being pitted against those who have none and express real fears of retribution if they voice their concerns. Surely this is not what we want for people with developmental disabilities and their families in British Columbia.

We know you appreciate the value and importance of ensuring the most vulnerable people in our communities are supported to have good lives today and into the future. I hope that we can look to you for leadership in ensuring that CLBC has the funds it needs to support individuals with developmental disabilities, their families and the agencies that serve them.

Yours truly,

[original signed]

Faith Bodnar, Executive Director
BC Association for Community Living