CLUOV Earns Housing Grant
Community Living Upper Ottawa Valley (CLUOV) is pleased to announce they have received a provincial grant. CLUOV has received a two-year grant of $121,217 from the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services (MCSS), Employment and Modernization Fund. These funds will be used to support new partnerships with property owners and municipal projects that will support the transitions of people with disabilities.
CLUOV has made commitments through strategic planning to move from traditional group living models and property ownership, to person-centered and community-based opportunities. Plans are underway to sell two of the organization's current residential properties. Proceeds from the sales will provide training to staff and transitional support for up to 14 people, welcoming some from the provincial wait list and accommodating others currently in receipt of support. A focus of the grant is to enhance community engagement, intentional neighbourhoods and support welcoming inclusive membership and opportunities.
Transitional Housing History
CLUOV has focused a great deal of our energy and time developing community value, education and partnerships. In 2014, CLUOV hosted a successful Innovative Housing Symposium attended by nearly 100 delegates. Attendance was from across Ontario and included key senior MCSS staff, private developers and regional council members. Since then, the agency has developed and nurtured relationships with many community partners and entrepreneurs that were in attendance.
CLUOV's successful influence in inclusive thinking and educating these community partners will now allow the agency to:
- Assist seniors with living in a newly constructed integrated community senior residential sites; allowing them to readily participate in community senior activities;
- Assist others to move from CLUOV housing to a newly renovated inclusive apartment complex in Pembroke;
- Create a partnership to develop a barrier- free, accessible triplex, using the intentional neighbour concept for overnight support.
CLUOV Executive Director, Chris Grayson, was able to be part of the province's announcement on March 30 in Richmond Hill.
"This is an exciting opportunity for the agency and our partners," he shared. "It clearly supports the vision of our Board of Directors and their strategic plan."
Grayson continued to praise the community.
"Community partners are understanding, and fully supportive of our agency moving away from traditional models of living," he said. "Instead we will move towards a variety of unique and individualized options that will see people supported and many others in our community having choice in where and with whom they live. By developing positive relationships with entrepreneurs who see the value of intentional community and recognize the importance of being inclusive, we can create models that can be duplicated in the future and around the province.”
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