Residences: Research Highlights

Research Highlight - March 2006 Socio-economic Series 06-008

Introduction

A research study examined the housing issues that adults with intellectual disabilities and their families are facing. Conducted between December 2004 and February 2006, it addressed:

1. the availability of housing and associated support services

2. best practices

3. transitions between housing situations

4. the role of parents of adults

5. risks that face persons with intellectual disabilities as they transition out of the family home or the juvenile system

6. gaps in the availability of housing, both existing and anticipated.

The research focused on three cities: Victoria, Ottawa and Halifax, with some input from stakeholders in other provinces. While not national in scope, nor exhaustive in its methods, it provides an overview of the housing and support issues facing adults with intellectual disabilities.

In 2001, there were 120,140 Canadians over the age of 15 with developmental disabilities. Family members are the only, or the main source of support for almost 80 per cent of adults with intellectual disabilities. Fifty per cent of family members providing support indicate they are not getting the back-up assistance and in-home support they need from their communities.

Approximately 12 per cent of individuals with developmental disabilities are aged 65 and over, and population projections indicate that, because these people are living longer than they used to, the population of developmentally disabled people who are 55 years of age or older will double within the next 25 years.

These individuals and the families who support them are likely to encounter a number of life transition issues, as both the parents and their adult children age. Many individuals and families continue to be presented with options that do not support lifestyles of choice but instead demand that people with developmental disabilities stay indefinitely in the family home, or move into group home programs or other considerably more institutional environments.

Findings

Conclusion

The research found that there is a significant unmet need for suitable housing for adults with intellectual disabilities, resulting from a lack of funding for physical facilities and supports.

As well, the current system which provides housing for adults outside their family home is geared to meeting the needs of the system rather than those of the individuals it is meant to serve. Too often, individuals are housed where space is available, rather than in residences suited to their specific needs.

Making the transition from a family home to independent living can be difficult for any adult, but more so for adults with intellectual disabilities, because of their more limited ability to cope with the challenges of adapting to new situations and taking on new responsibilities. The shortage of support services can therefore be an impediment to a successful transition.

Family members, especially aging parents, want to participate in planning for the transition to other forms of housing and to have input to the decisions that affect their family members. While most service providers share that concern, their resources are often such that a desire for a pro-active and responsive approach is not translated into reality.

While many housing models emerged as desirable in different circumstances, they have a common focus on flexibility and choice, reflecting the variation in the abilities, needs and desires of people with intellectual disabilities and their families.

Study participants advocate a person-centred approach, in which people with intellectual disabilities or their advocates are directly involved in planning and choosing housing and support services, and in which funding is tied to the individual rather than to an agency or facility.

To read this article in full and to find more Research Highlights plus a wide variety of information products, visit their website at www.cmhc.ca

or contact:

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
700 Montreal Road, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0P7

Phone: 1.800.668.2642
Fax: 1.800.245.9274

CMHC Project Manager: Anna Lenk
Consultants: Beals, Lalonde & Associates
Citizen Advocacy of Ottawa

Although this information product reflects housing experts’ current knowledge, it is provided for general information purposes only. Any reliance or action taken based on the information, materials and techniques described are the responsibility of the user. Readers are advised to consult appropriate professional resources to determine what is safe and suitable in their particular case. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation assumes no responsibility for any consequence arising from use of the information, materials and techniques described.

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