Component: DSSL - Adults' Community Accommodation

Legislation: Services and Supports to Promote the Social Inclusion of Persons with Developmental Disabilities Act, 2008 (SIPDDA)

Service objectives

  • To provide specialized accommodation (transitional specialized settings and permanent specialized settings), including supportive living care, structured support, planning and treatment for individuals with a developmental disability who have a co-existing mental illness (dual diagnosis) or behavioural challenges
  • For transitional specialized settings: the objective is to build caregiver capacity to permanently support the individual at home or to find more appropriate placement
  • For permanent specialized settings the objective is to provide a safe, secure, therapeutic, long-term environment
  • To support the development of a personal Individual Support Plan (ISP) based on the principles of self-determination, social inclusion, citizenship and choice and to provide services that are reflective of this plan

Service description

Note that specialized accommodation is a type of supported group living setting or intensive support setting, depending on the number of individuals and intensity of support provided to individuals who live in the setting.

People served

  • Services and supports are for persons who reside in Ontario, are at least 18 years of age and have a developmental disability as defined by the Services and Supports to Promote the Social Inclusion of Persons with Developmental Disabilities Act, 2008 and have co- existing mental health issues (dual diagnosis) and/or behavioural challenges
  • Individuals served reside in an agency operated, staff-supported setting with temporary, transitional spaces - individuals with a developmental disability with needs that exceed their own and/or their caregivers' ability to keep them safe from self-harm and/or harm to others, and who require temporary, transitional specialized accommodation as well as crisis and specialized respite support or
  • Individuals served reside in an agency operated, staff-supported setting with permanent spaces - individuals with a developmental disability with persistent, high-risk behaviour who need ongoing specialized support and permanent specialized accommodation

Individual support plan (ISP)

Each individual will have an Individual Support Plan (ISP) that is based on the assessed strengths, needs and preferences of the individual. The plan will identify the specific services/supports received by the individual, the expected outcomes and should be based on the principles of self-determination, social inclusion, citizenship, choice and other requirements outlined in Section 5 of Regulation 299/10.

Program/service features

A type of supported group living setting or intensive support setting, specialized accommodation is an agency operated, staff-supported setting with either permanent spaces for adults with persistent, high-risk behaviour who need ongoing specialized support or temporary, transitional spaces to provide crisis and specialized respite services for adults whose needs exceed their caregivers' ability to keep them safe from self-harm and/or harm to others.

Such agencies house residents that have a developmental disability and mental illness (dual diagnosis) and/or challenging behaviour that requires specialized supports to meet their prescribed requirements. Examples of mental illness include conditions such as mood/anxiety/personality disorders, and depression. Challenging behaviour is defined in Ontario Regulation 299/10 as behaviour that is aggressive or injurious to self or to others or that causes property damage or both and that limits the ability of the person with a developmental disability to participate in daily life activities and in the community or to learn new skills or that is any combination of them.

Specific service provided

  • 24/7 staffing support for individuals
  • Professional assessment (e.g., psychiatric, psychological, primary care (medical), etc.)
  • A continuum of temporary/transitional to long transitional short-term accommodations to achieve specific treatment goals
  • Staff implementation of any clinical behavioural intensive treatment services/plans to stabilize mental health/behavioural functioning
  • Supports for activities of daily living such as assisting a person with personal hygiene, dressing, meal preparation, medication administration, etc
  • Supports to develop, review and implement an Individual Support Plan (ISP)
  • Provision of all food (to meet all nutritional needs including those arising from medical conditions) and other supportive living supports (e.g. bedding, linens, furnishings, personal care items, etc.)
  • Supports provided by supportive living staff for participation in community activities provided by supportive living staff
  • Supports for maintaining personal relationships and family connections, as desired and
  • Providing/ensuring for the health, safety and wellness of individuals (health concerns, identifying safeguards, personal safety and security)

Services excluded

  • Services funded under community participation supports

Delivery method

  • Services are provided in person
  • Services are provided by staff with required training or experience in specialized/clinical services (e.g. psychologist, behavioural therapist, psychiatric nursing)
  • Services provided are aligned with the ministry's safety and security guidelines and expectations as per quality assurance measures

Services will be

  • Designed to address the needs of the individual and their family
  • Respectful of the social, linguistic and cultural diversity of individuals, families and communities
  • Staffed by individuals with the appropriate training and range of skills necessary to respond effectively to the needs of individuals and their families
  • Based on the individual's assessed strengths, needs, preferences and available individual, agency, community and contracted ministry resources
  • Obtained through the application for adult developmental services and supports process, which identifies individuals' support needs and priority access to service through a process that is objective, equitable and transparent

Program goals

To provide community based supportive living accommodation services and supports to adults with a developmental disability that promotes social inclusion, individual choice, independence and rights.

Ministry expectations

  • Service agencies will inform the appropriate Developmental Services Ontario (DSO) office of resources and/or vacancy declaration as it becomes available
  • Service agencies will comply with all relevant legislation, regulations, policy directives, program guidelines, funding agreement(s), accountability and reporting requirements
  • The service agency is responsible for utilizing the information technology specified by the Ministry for the collection and maintenance of information, maintaining the security, integrity, consistency and validity of the information collected and maintained and ensuring that data is accurate and kept up-to-date

Reporting requirements

The following service data will be reported on an Interim and Final stage. Please refer to your final agreement for report back due dates and targets.

Service Data Name Definition

# of Bed Days Available: Specialized Accommodation (directly operated)

The cumulative number of days a supportive living space is available and staffed during the reporting period. Only includes ministry-funded beds directly operated by your TPA (not via a third party).

# of Beds: Specialized Accommodation (directly operated)

The total number of supportive living spaces for overnight stay at the end of the reporting period (snapshot), regardless of whether they are filled or not. Only includes ministry-funded beds directly operated by your TPA (not via a third party).

# of Individuals Served: Specialized Accommodation (Direct Supportive Living)

The subset of "Individuals Served (Total)" who received supportive living service delivered by your TPA.

# of Individuals Served: Specialized Accommodation (Direct Respite)

The subset of "Individuals Served (Total)" who received respite through the supportive living service delivered by your TPA.

# of Individuals Served: Specialized Accommodation (Third party)

The subset of "Individuals Served (Total)" who received supportive living service funded by your TPA but delivered by a third party (including other TPAs and for-profit OPRs).

# of Individuals Served: Specialized Accommodation (Total)

The unique/unduplicated number of individuals that received this type of service in any language in the reporting year (cumulative). Includes TPA direct service and third party service delivery. The same person should be counted only once if they received more than one type of this service, or if they exited and re-entered service during the year.

Specialized Accommodation: Ministry-funded Agency Expenditures

Total ministry-funded expenses for the service agency to administer and/or deliver this service in the reporting year (cumulative). Includes TPA direct service and third party service delivery.

Specialized Accommodation: Ministry-funded Agency Expenditures (Third party brokering/admin fee)

The subset of "Ministry-funded Agency Expenditures ($) (Total)" used to administer or broker the purchase of supportive living services from a third party (including other TPAs and for-profit OPRs), above and beyond the value of the third party contracts.

Specialized Accommodation: Ministry-funded Agency Expenditures (Third party contracts)

The subset of "Ministry-funded Agency Expenditures ($) (Total)" used to purchase supportive living services through a contract with a third party (including other TPAs and for-profit OPRs).

# of Supportive Living Resident Days: Specialized Accommodation

Number of days a permanent resident occupied the supportive living space in the reporting year (cumulative).

# of Respite Resident Days: Specialized Accommodation

Number of days an individual receiving respite services occupied the supportive living space in the reporting year (cumulative).