Community Living Sarnia-Lambton is supporting a provincewide call for the Ontario government to increase funding in its 2025 budget to support people with developmental disabilities.
Executive Director Corry Thomas said organizations across the sector are underfunded.
"We've had just under a seven per cent increase in the last 30 years, with a well over 60 per cent increase in the cost of living and our expenses," said Thomas. "So, that eats away at our resources."
Thomas said they're reaching the end of their ability to restructure without significantly impacting the care and services they provide.
"There are about 11 different disability Service Ontario organizations, that all hold several waitlists or what they call registries, that may keep people waiting for residential care, supported independent living, day programs, respite, community programs or very specialized care and mental health supports," he said.
Over 52,000 people are waiting for support services in Ontario, several hundred in Sarnia-Lambton, and Thomas said the list gets longer each year.
"If a situation becomes a crisis, that person may be bumped up the registry and become a priority. So, you're constantly -- for the most part -- an emergency response. Unless you almost reach a crisis point, you could be waiting quite a long time," Thomas said.
He said underinvestment has made it difficult to compete with private organizations when recruiting staff, and unable to build supportive infrastructure.
"We have two undeveloped sites in the Sarnia area and -- if we had adequate support -- we could build on those sites and open up eight beds maybe," said Thomas.
He said investing in the sector would be in the financial best interest of the province and greater local community.
"People with developmental disabilities are more likely to be hospitalized repeatedly, more likely to become stranded or stuck in the hospital because there's no appropriate place for them to go, they're more likely to be living in a long term care facility -- even at a very young age -- and unfortunately, sometimes they're also more likely to become victims of physical, financial, emotional or sexual abuse," said Thomas.
He said the organization will be submitting budget recommendations and is hoping priority is given.
"We would encourage anybody who is connected with Community Living Sarnia-Lambton, so people that work with us or people that are supported by us, or families of people who are sitting on the registry or waitlist, to fill out the provincial survey to provide input to the development of the 2025 provincial budget," Thomas said.
Community Living Ontario CEO Chris Beesley said it should not be at the whim of any government to determine who gets, who doesn’t, and when.
"The province’s books should not be balanced on the backs of its most vulnerable citizens," Beesley said. "While we are grateful the government provided a modest increase in the last budget, it doesn’t even begin to address the seriousness of our current situation. We must do better.”