About
My Home My Community is a national initiative that is opening doors to inclusive, affordable housing for people with intellectual disabilities.
we believe that home is a place that enables choice, freedom, safety, and inclusion in community.
we work with communities, developers, funders, support agencies, and families. learn more about what we do.
Why do we need inclusive, affordable housing?
At least 24,000 people with an intellectual disability in Canada are in core housing need.
Over 100,000 people with an intellectual disability are unable to access affordable housing that meets their support needs, makes possible a home of their own, and offers social and economic inclusion in their communities.
People with intellectual disabilities have a long history of institutionalization, and being denied their right to choose where and with whom they live.
For decades, group homes and other congregate living arrangements have been one of the only housing options available. Many people have limited options and are moved to seniors’ facilities far before the age of 65.
Many adults with intellectual disabilities rely entirely on aging parents for both personal care and housing costs - parents who ask themselves, “What will happen to my child when I am no longer here?” As these parents age, the need for inclusive, affordable housing and community supports will continue to grow.
Does inclusive, affordable housing already exist?
In its National Housing Strategy, the Government of Canada declared housing as “a cornerstone of inclusive communities.”
There is no widely shared, evidence-based understanding of what makes housing inclusive. As a result, developers, funders, housing providers, planners, and others lack the knowledge and tools to contribute to the creation of more inclusive housing.
Efforts to create more affordable housing often overlook features that are tied to achieving inclusive outcomes.
A home is about more than a roof and four walls. Choice, control, safety, financial and tenure security, and meaningful opportunity to be part of a community are part of what makes a home.
My Home My Community is addressing these barriers by:
Helping developers, funders, and families define and measure inclusive housing using innovative assessment tools;
Supporting people to envision what inclusive housing can look like through real-life examples that can be replicated across the country; and,
Building knowledge about what it takes to create and sustain inclusive, affordable housing through evidence-based research.
Our Partners
My Home My Community is led by people with lived experience, as well as experts in disability, housing, and inclusion. Building inclusive communities takes a community! Our partners include:
My Home My Community received funding from the National Housing Strategy under NHS Solutions Labs and NHS Innovation & Research for several of our projects highlighted on this website. The views expressed are the views of Inclusion Canada, People First of Canada, and partners where named. Canada Mortgage & Housing Corporation (CMHC) accepts no responsibility for these views.
A note About language
The terms intellectual disability and developmental disability are sometimes used interchangeably in Canada. At Inclusion Canada and People First of Canada we use the term intellectual disability. This is meant to be inclusive of both terms, and includes people who face challenges in learning and communication, and people with Autism, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, or other neurodevelopmental conditions. An intellectual disability is something someone can be born with, or it can be acquired later in life.