The Steps and Stages to Supported Independent Living in Ontario
by Joy Birch, President, Highview Residences
For many families, the question is not if independent supported living will one day be needed — but when.
And for many parents, caregivers, siblings, and support networks, this journey carries both deep love and deep complexity.
Questions often begin quietly:
What happens when I can no longer provide support every day?
What kind of daily life is possible for my loved one?
Will they feel safe? Connected? Included?
How long could planning and transition take?
What options exist beyond traditional models?
Is there another way to think about “home”?
This guide was created to help families better understand the pathways available in Ontario for adults with a developmental disability or neurodiversity — including both publicly funded and privately supported independent living options.
It is meant to be practical, hopeful, and honest.
There is no single “right” path. Every person, every family, and every stage of life is different.
But there are more possibilities emerging today than there were even a few years ago.
And families deserve clear information to help them dream, plan, and prepare.
Understanding Public and Private Supported Independent Living Options in Ontario
In Ontario, supported independent living for adults with developmental disabilities or neurodiversity generally falls into two broad categories:
Publicly funded supports and housing
Private or fee-for-service living options
Many families explore both systems at the same time.
Both can play important roles.
And for many families, the journey involves learning about several different approaches before deciding what feels right for the person they love.
Publicly Funded Supported Independent Living
How the Public System Works
Ontario’s developmental services system is funded through the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services (MCCSS).
Access typically begins through:
Developmental Services Ontario (DSO)
Eligibility assessments
Priority scoring and waitlists
Applications to agencies or support providers
Supports may include:
Supported independent and group living
Community participation supports
Day programming
Respite services
Case management
Funding and support availability depend on many factors, including:
Eligibility
Urgency of need
Geographic area
Available funding and supports
Existing waitlists
The Reality Many Families Navigate
For many families, planning for the future can feel overwhelming.
Parents and caregivers often spend years learning about supports, researching options, completing applications, and trying to understand what may be available over time.
The process can feel emotionally heavy — especially while also supporting the day-to-day needs of someone they deeply love.
Some families receive partial supports, while continuing to explore future living options and longer-term planning.
Others continue providing significant support at home far longer than they originally expected.
And many families quietly carry questions like:
What will happen in the future?
How do we begin planning?
What options will feel safe and meaningful?
Who will care for my loved one if one day I cannot?
The emotional weight families carry — often quietly and privately — is significant.
Families are doing deeply loving work every single day.
Strengths of Publicly Funded Supports
Publicly funded developmental services can provide:
Access to important community supports
Structured developmental services
Respite opportunities for caregivers
Employment and community participation supports
Experienced agency teams
Long-term support relationships
For many individuals and families, publicly funded services play an important and meaningful role.
Planning Challenges Families Often Encounter
Across Ontario, demand for developmental services continues to significantly exceed available capacity. According to Community Living Ontario reporting, more than 52,000 individuals are currently waiting for developmental services in Ontario, including more than 28,000 people waiting specifically for housing-related supports.¹
Many families are also waiting for community participation supports, respite services, employment supports, and full Passport funding allocations.¹
As a result, many families begin exploring multiple pathways at the same time — including both publicly funded and private supported living options — as they think about long-term planning and future stability.
Private or Fee-for-Service Supported Independent Living
Over the past several years, more families have begun exploring private supported living models.
The developmental services sector often refers to these as “fee-for-service” models.
At Highview, we more simply call this private supported living.
At its heart, this approach is about community — your community.
It is a way of living in a home, with the right support, as wanted or needed over time.
In this model:
The individual or family privately pays for housing and supports
Supports are individualized and flexible
Timing is not dependent on government waitlists
Families may have more choice regarding location, environment, and pace of transition
For some families, this creates the opportunity to begin planning earlier — instead of having to make decisions during a crisis or emergency situation.
Support is woven into daily life and the natural rhythms of the day, rather than imposed through rigid schedules or systems.
Life can feel thoughtfully paced, familiar, and steady.
Common Questions About Private Supported Living
“Does this mean I don’t need to apply for public funding or go on the DSO waiting list?”
No.
Families should still apply for Developmental Services Ontario (DSO) supports and explore publicly funded pathways as early as possible.
Many families choose to explore both public and private supported living options at the same time.
Sometimes private supported independent living becomes the long-term solution.
Other times it serves as a bridge-solution while families continue navigating public pathways and waitlists.
“Can ODSP still help?”
In many private supported living models, the housing portion of ODSP can still be applied toward the rent component of monthly fees.
It can also be helpful for families to speak with a lawyer, financial planner, or disability planning professional about things like trusts, benefits, future planning, and how to best support long-term stability.
“How do families make private supported living work financially?”
Not every family has the financial ability to pursue private supported independent living.
But many families are creatively exploring ways to combine different types of support and planning, including:
ODSP housing allocations
Passport funding
RDSPs
Henson Trusts
Future inheritance planning
Life insurance planning
Support from siblings or extended family
For many families, the deeper question is not simply about money.
It is:
“Who will care for my loved one the way I do — if one day I cannot?”
That question keeps many parents and caregivers awake at night.
And increasingly, families are beginning to ask:
“What can we put in place now to help create a safe, meaningful, and loving future for the person we care about most?”
What Families Often Say They Are Looking For
When families talk about the future for someone they love, they often say things like:
“I want them to live their best life.”
“I want them to feel safe and happy.”
“I want them to have friends, purpose, and community.”
“I want them to feel known and loved.”
The conversation is rarely only about services.
Families are looking for more than housing.
They are looking for home, connection, stability, and the opportunity for the person they love to live their best life.
Families talk about:
Belonging
Friendship
Meaningful daily life
Safety without feeling controlled
Independence with support nearby
Being known
Stability
Purpose
Community
A Different Emerging Model: Intergenerational Living
Historically, developmental services housing and seniors living have existed in very separate worlds.
But new models are beginning to emerge that intentionally bring generations and communities together.
The idea is simple:
People thrive through connection with others, and through living in community.
At Highview Lucan, the vision is an intergenerational Home where:
Seniors
Adults with developmental disabilities or neurodiversity
People living with dementia
live together within one shared community.
Not as programs.
As neighbours.
Being part of community supports independence in ways that feel natural and sustaining — offering purpose, belonging, and a sense of place.
Why Families Are Interested in Intergenerational Living
Families are often drawn to the possibility of:
A smaller and more personal setting
Individualized support
Natural daily connection
Shared meals and shared spaces
A calmer pace of life
Long-term relationship-building
Meaningful rhythms of home and community
Opportunities to feel involved, helpful, and connected
It feels good to be helpful.
And for many people, being part of the life of a home — in ways both big and small — supports confidence, purpose, and belonging.
The goal is to create a place where people are supported to live with independence, connection, and purpose in daily life.
Why Lucan Feels Different
Lucan offers something increasingly rare:
A small-town rhythm of life.
Families often describe being drawn to:
Slower pace
Neighbourly feeling
Green space
Familiarity
Quieter surroundings
Reduced overwhelm
Community connection
For many adults, especially those who may feel overstimulated in larger urban settings, small-town living can feel grounding and supportive.
And for families from surrounding communities, Lucan remains close enough to stay connected.
Steps Families Can Begin Taking Today
Step 1: Start Conversations Early
Even if transition feels years away.
Early conversations can help reduce the pressure of future crisis decision-making.
Step 2: Register with DSO
Even if you are uncertain about future pathways.
Beginning the process early can help create more options over time.
Step 3: Learn About Financial and Future Planning
Consider speaking with professionals experienced in:
Disability planning
Estate planning
Henson Trusts
RDSPs
ODSP implications
Future housing planning
Families do not need to have every answer immediately.
But beginning conversations early can help create greater clarity and peace of mind over time.
Step 4: Explore Different Models
Visit homes.
Ask questions.
Notice how places feel.
Pay attention not only to supports and services — but to warmth, rhythm, connection, and belonging.
Step 5: Include the Person in the Conversation
Whenever possible, co-design the future with the person themselves.
What matters to them?
What helps them feel calm, connected, and confident?
What kind of daily life feels meaningful to them?
Questions Families May Want to Ask
What does daily life actually look like here?
How individualized are supports?
How are friendships and belonging encouraged?
What happens as support needs change over time?
How are families involved?
Is there flexibility?
What does “home” mean in this setting?
What kind of future can be built here?
Final Thoughts
There is no perfect path.
And there is no perfect time.
But families do not need to wait until exhaustion or crisis to begin imagining what the future could look like.
More and more families are seeking options that combine:
Independence
Support
Community
Flexibility
Warmth
Long-term belonging
The idea of what supported living can look like is evolving.
And increasingly, families are asking not only:
“What services are available?”
But:
“What kind of daily life is possible?”
This is supported living that is home.
Gentle. Grounded. And full of what’s still possible.
If you would like to receive future resources, planning guides, webinar invitations, or updates about Highview Lucan’s intergenerational living model, families can subscribe to stay connected and continue the conversation.
Highview Lucan
A home of their own. A community of belonging. The right support, co-designed with the person.
¹ Community Living Ontario provincial waitlist data, referenced in: Karis Disability Services – “53,000 Ontarians on Waitlist for Disability Services”