July 2003

Community Living Peterborough
Community Living Peterborough has just celebrated 50 years of providing a variety of supports to individuals with an intellectual disability and their families, living in Peterborough County. Our Vision is …."that all people live in a state of dignity, share in all elements of living in their community and have the opportunity to participate effectively."

Our supports have grown from 1953 when a group of parents started a small school for their children with developmental handicaps to providing supports and services to:

· 159 children and adolescents through Family Support We offer a range of supports for children and families which may include one or more of the following:

a) Parent relief- in- home and out of home in a variety of settings,
b) Specialized foster care,
c) Individualized support to families in accessing supports, working with the school system and other agencies,
d) Group work for children and families e.g. sibling workshops, parent education sessions, healthy relationships

· 32 people through Adult Residential Services

· 42 people through Supported Independent Living We offer supportive housing to adults in apartment settings, family homes or in a supportive housing environment. Supports range from 24 hour care to minimal supports offered to individuals living in their own apartment who require assistance in some aspect of daily living.

· 150 individuals through Vocational/Day Services we offer employment opportunities and/or day activities for adults which may include one or more of the following:

a) Personnel Plus assists people with all aspects of finding and maintaining employment. They offer a variety of supports from employment planning, resume development, job readiness training, placement opportunities, job search, development , on-the-job coaching and follow-up supports to employers and employees.
b) Small Business Resource Development offers assistance to adults with a developmental disability in owning and operating their own business. Individuals complete contracts for local business' and share the profits. Contracts vary from piece work to collating, assembly and mailings.
c) Day Options offers a variety of options to adults and seniors who have chosen to spend their day pursuing other than work activities of their choice. People are assisted in exploring opportunities in their community for education, leisure, social, retirement and life skills. Opportunities for the community to bring their expertise and gifts into our day centers are encouraged.

· many individuals through our Volunteer Services Volunteers are recruited from all walkways of life. They are matched to individual with whom they share an interest and they spend time one on one. Other Volunteers chose to participate at one of our locations volunteering with a number of people.

Supports offered to people are based on personal outcome measures. Information regarding a person's interest, desires and choices is gathered through ongoing conversations with individuals and the people who know them best. The team then determines the best way to assist the person in realizing their personal outcomes and provides the support needed to assist people to make decisions that make sense to them within their community.

The Future
Future directions for Community Living Peterborough include:

· Strengthening our commitment to enhancing people's quality of life, and

· Increasing our partnerships within our community

We strive always to improve the supports and services we provide to people by listening to what people are telling us, constantly challenging the status quo and designing quality into the supports we provide. You cannot rest on your laurels and bask in the glory of finally getting "there", because there is no "there", the edge keeps moving. We need to move with it.

Edna O'Toole, Manager Day Programs,
Community Living Peterborough,
223 Aylmer Street., Peterborough, ON, K9J 3K3
Phone: (705)-743-2411