"Face the Facts" Fridays > Background - here are some facts...
Waitlists for needed community living supports and services are forcing individuals and families into crisis.
Government has been unwilling to fund the necessary supports and services people need to participate in our communities.
This is at a time when there have been unprecedented budget surpluses. This is at a time when government has repeatedly made public, its commitment to early intervention. This is at a time when government’s great goal is to develop the best system of supports in Canada for persons with disabilities.
The waitlists for community living supports and services are simply unacceptable. Individuals and families are in crisis and need your support. The time to act is now.
BCACL urges government to allocate the necessary funding required to meet the needs of the thousands of children and youth with special needs, adults with developmental disabilities and their families who are on waitlists for needed community living supports and services.
Community Living British Columbia needs $54.8 Million to address the needs of adults with developmental disabilities who are waiting for services in this year and next.
In addition, thousands of children and youth with special needs are waitlisted for access to urgent therapy services, the infant development programs, supported child development programs and respite care. Other advocates have suggested that an additional $30 Million is needed to address the needs of children and families on these waitlists.
A significant financial investment is needed to address the long and unnecessary waitlists for community living supports and services to ensure children and youth with special needs, adults with developmental disabilities and their families receive the supports and services they need when they need them. It will make a huge difference in the lives of thousands of families.
Ensuring that Community Living BC has the funding it requires to meet the identified needs of adults with developmental disabilities and their families will enable the crown authority to get out of the cycle of crisis response, and meet its vision of providing good lives in welcoming communities for people with developmental disabilities.
- Waitlists for community living supports and services are pushing individuals with developmental disabilities and families into crisis.
- Thousands of children and youth with special needs are waitlisted for access to urgent therapy services, infant development programs, supported child development programs and respite care. Other advocates have suggested that an additional $30 Million is needed to address the needs of children and families on these waitlists.
- Despite repeated requests for accurate information about waitlists for children and youth with special needs, government can still not clearly identify how many children and youth with special needs and their families are waiting to get the early supports they need and deserve.
- Community Living British Columbia (CLBC) documents of May 2007 report that they need $19.3M to address the needs of adults on waitlists right now, another $19.1M to meet the needs of adults requiring services later in 2007/2008 and $16.4M to meet the needs of adults requiring new or enhanced services in 2008/2009. This adds up to $54.8M that is needed by CLBC to provide supports and services for adults with developmental disabilities in this year and next.
- Community Living British Columbia is only providing new services to people in crisis and at risk for their continued health and safety.
- Upon turning nineteen, youth with developmental disabilities "hit the wall”. Transitioning out of children’s programs and services, they abruptly face a cruel reality of having all supports and services stop, while their name is added to the bottom of the waitlist for community living supports and services they still require as an adult. Planning in advance, and ensuring funding is in place can ensure a smooth transition into adulthood.
- Faced with a range of challenges many of us can not even begin to imagine, many families would benefit from accessing a small amount of funding that can be used for respite. Instead, the lack of funding, available resources and long waitlists force individuals and families into crisis. Providing supports and services when they are needed results in a significant investment in families.
- Research supports that even small amounts of funding provided to assist individuals and families when the need is identified, prevents the development of crisis situations that are always more costly to address.
- Although the standing committee has made recommendations last year and in years past, to address the waitlists, no substantive investments have been made. Increases in 2007/2008 simply paid for higher wages in the sector - an important contribution to be sure – but in no way did the increases meet the needs of those children and adults so seriously in need of supports who continue to languish on long waitlists.
