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Inclusive Housing

The Need For SupportOur Impact

A group people including 6 women and 1 man from L'Arche Saint John standing together.
A group of 4 men and 1 woman seated together for a meal at a dining table.
A white blond haired woman with glasses sitting and smiling at the Inclusive Housing Solutions Lab Forum in New Brunswick.
A woman and man standing and speaking together at the Inclusive Housing Solutions Lab Forum, positioned in front of a wall with a poster covered in sticky notes labeled Neighbourly Connections and Mutual Support

A Critical Issue – Social Inclusion

In today’s world, people with developmental disabilities face immense barriers to inclusion. Our society often overlooks the universal need for accessibility, inclusion and belonging, exacerbating the challenges they encounter.

Of the 750,000 Canadians with developmental disabilities, many lack the vital support and resources to live to their fullest potential. During the strategic planning process, specific priorities were identified. A critical demand had emerged: addressing the mounting waitlist for people with developmental disabilities in need of support services

Over the past four years, overall demand for all developmental services like L’Arche Stratford increased by 56 per cent with activities programming seeing the greatest demand with an 88 per cent increase.

The rapid growth is due to people living at home later in life with their families. Often crises of caregiver health or age require a more urgent need. In 2021-2022, only three per cent of support requests were fulfilled in Perth-Huron and this number continues to decline.

 

Our Impact – Enacting Change

The Be Belong Become capital campaign will see the construction of a new 13,000-square-foot community hub for people living with and without developmental disabilities to share life together. With the expansion to the larger space at 426 Britannia, we will provide eight affordable independent housing units, thus creating six ministry-funded vacancies to foster greater independence among our current members and welcome new members. This represents a 25 per cent increase in affordable living suites for people with developmental disabilities. We will welcome 26 new individuals who require social recreation support thereby reducing the waitlist by 58 per cent.

This also helps us with future sustainability and an opportunity to address our historical underfunding with increased capacity. By owning our building, we are no longer paying a property owner rent. With Core Members paying rent and the ability to rent out space to the wider community we make the long-term expense of maintaining the building sustainable. Ownership of our community hub allows us to grow and further invest in our equity. We can build or purchase more housing to reduce the number of people on the waitlist. By raising the $6.5 million during the Be Become Belong capital campaign we will be mortgage-free. Moreover, 426 Britannia will forge a space where individuals with or without developmental disabilities can share and celebrate life together.