Une question qui a tout démarré

Comment pourrions-nous travailler ensemble pour garantir que chaque personne, y compris les personnes ayant une déficience intellectuelle, dispose d’un logement abordable et accessible qui favorise un sentiment d’appartenance et des liens avec la collectivité?

Notre objectif

Housing options for persons with intellectual disabilities are often limited by factors such as poverty, lack of support, and lack of options, and that housing options often fall under “care services,” meaning people are not protected like renters or homeowners. This leaves persons with intellectual disabilities facing housing precarity at a higher rate than people without disabilities.

The group, Disability Without Poverty, notes that: “In 2021, 16.5% of people with disabilities lived in poverty, representing more than 1.5 million people. This is compared to compared to 8.6% of people without disabilities… All provincial disability payments are below the poverty line. Most are far below the poverty line.” (www.disabilitywithoutpoverty.ca) Without an adequate income, housing costs are beyond what some persons with disabilities can afford.

According to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), “In Canada, an estimated 13,200 adults with developmental disabilities live with parents or other family members because of a lack of resources or community supports… More than 75% of adult Canadians with intellectual disabilities who do not live with their families are living in poverty and are at a very high risk of homelessness.” And, “Almost 25,000 Canadians with significant developmental disabilities are in core housing need.” (CMHC Research Insight, April 2021)

From a Housing First perspective, this lack of housing security underpins other gaps in peoples’ lives including access to support, services and social connection. Knowing this, the work of the Lab focused on inclusive housing solutions that support and nurture belonging for everyone – including people with intellectual disabilities.