February 23, 2002  --  This document is available in .pdf Format - ServicePlanResponse.pdf

Who is the Community Living Coalition?

 The Community Living Coalition is a diverse group of family members, self advocates and service providers dedicated to empowering individuals and families to make decisions about how they lead their lives in the community.   Since October 2001, the Coalition has been moving forward with a proposal for a new community governance structure for Community Living services for children with special needs and adults with developmental disabilities.  This proposal was submitted to the Minister of Children and Family Development on November 30, 2001.

 Over the last few months, the Coalition has been involved in a process to build broad based community support, and tried to reach as many families as possible throughout the province to discuss our goals. We have continued to meet regularly as a Coalition and have encouraged those who are interested to come to meetings. As a result, more and more families from around B.C. have now joined the Coalition and are communicating with us in person, by phone, and by email.

 What is the Coalition trying to do?

 It is our belief that a provincial community governance body (whose board would have a majority of family members and self advocates) will enable those who use Community Living services to have control over how those services are delivered and ensure that they are provided in a more flexible manner. Many individuals and families have expressed a desire for individualized funding (IF), and a key aspect of our proposal is the inclusion of IF as an option for those who want it.  Supports would also be provided for those who either need or want assistance in using IF.  For more information about IF (and the Coalition's proposal), visit our web site at www.communitylivingcoalition.bc.ca.

 The provincial government has viewed the Coalition's proposal favorably and we have felt hopeful that it would go forward.  Minister Hogg, and ministry staff have met with Coalition members to discuss the proposal and a possible transition team structure.  While we are encouraged by the Minister's support for community governance as a direction, he has not made a public announcement regarding a transition process.

The Coalition has urged the Minister to announce a clear governance direction and establish a transition process to move forward.

Does the Coalition support budget cuts?

 In the fall of 2001, Coalition members carried out a province-wide campaign to contact their MLAs, the Minister of Children and Family Development, Cabinet and the Premier to let them know how devastating cuts would be to Community Living.  While this campaign did not succeed in preventing government from announcing cuts to Community Living, we believe it reduced the depth of cuts that might have occurred, and it postponed the most significant cuts until 2003/04.  We are aware, however, that even without cuts in the coming year, service providers will be under pressure as regional staff attempt to bring recent overspending into line with budgets, and because budgets do not include any new funding for known cost increases for new service requirements and from collective agreements.

 The Coalition’s proposal commits to expenditure reductions of twenty percent (20%) in the provision of community living and related services over three fiscal years from April 1, 2002 to March 31, 2005.  However, the Coalition has also clearly stated that these savings should be achieved without reducing direct services, and that all resulting savings must be applied to support individuals and families now waitlisted for services - not to general revenue as the government has proposed.

Does the Coalition support the Ministry's Service Plan announced February 19, 2002?

 A number of the goals and strategies outlined in the Service Plan raise issues that are of great concern to the Coalition.

 1.      The service plan announces new Community Living policy directions, while the minister has also publicly stated support for a transition to community governance.

 If there is to be a real transition to community governance, then government must commit to making all policy decisions in partnership within the community, not unilaterally. 

The inclusion within the MCFD service plan of far-reaching policy and service plans is completely inconsistent with transferring governance over community living services to a community-based organization. 

The Coalition has presented a proposal for a Joint Transition Team and we believe this team should oversee all major transition and policy decisions.

2.      The service plan states that the ministry “will introduce a range of funding options for families to better meet their needs, including individualized and direct funding.”

 While the Coalition is encouraged by this development, no details are provided, so it is very difficult to tell whether the government's vision of IF is consistent with that of the community.

3.      The service plan indicates that MCFD will establish "client-centered, cost effective, specialized residential resources" for adults with developmental disabilities who have complex needs.  The budget includes $24.5 million for capital costs, some of which may be used for these residential resources. The ministry's media website gives an example of such resources as "group living centers for 12-20 people."

This clearly signals a return to institutionalization, and the Coalition does not, and will not, support it.  The Ministry already has a specialized residential resource in Willow Clinic and the negative consequences for individuals and families are well known.  Further, there is ample evidence, even within the Ministry itself, that any institutionalization of children with special needs or adults with developmental disabilities is not cost-effective.  Our ultimate goal is to support children and adults with disabilities to live as full citizens in their communities.

4.      The service plan indicates a major goal is to "increase family and community capacity to exercise responsibility to support adults with developmental disabilities." 

The wording of this goal raises questions as to where the Ministry believes responsibility lies for the support of adults in the community. While many adults with disabilities may wish to be supported to live at home with families, for many others this may not be an option or a preference. The Coalition supports the right of every individual and family to choose where they live, along with the supports and services that best suit their needs.

Previously, on January 17^th, 2002, the Ministry suggested that it may be considering means-testing for families requiring community living supports for their adult son or daughter, and that families may have no option other than supporting their adult son or daughter at home.   The Coalition supports choice for individuals and families, and believes that government has a responsibility in supporting adults with developmental disabilities in their communities.  The Coalition opposes means testing.