Supported Transition to Independent Living

Once you have found a residence of your choosing, we will help you to develop your personal Lifestyle Plan and path to successfully transition to independent living. Prior to the move-in date participants attend in-class group learning opportunities Monday to Friday from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm through our Community Activation Program to prepare for their transition to independent living. Some of the key areas of learning will include meal planning, grocery shopping, banking and budgeting, home maintenance, safety and security and orientation to the new transit routes in their community.

Once move-in has occurred, daily house visits from a Residential Life Coach will provide graduates of the Up-Skills Continuum opportunities to integrate and apply their learnings from the 4 Pillars of Independence to their new environment and community.

Daily one-hour visits will be provided based on a fading schedule moving from seven hours/seven days a week towards the goal of one hour a week within the first month of the move-in date. Residential Life Coaches will help the graduate to establish a network infrastructure of community/family supports and facilitate co-ordination of these supports if required.

Participation House will support graduates of the Up-Skills Continuum to successfully transition their skills to their new living environment and support them to the resources/infrastructures of supports within their new communities.

Supported Independent Living (SIL)

Our Supported Independent Living program has been designed to promote self-directed support while empowering individuals with disabilities participating in the program to develop new independent living skills and use those skills to reach their full potential within their home, and to become an active member of their community.

The services provided are identified through the Lifestyle Planning process, this ensures the individual’s physical, emotional, and psychological support needs are fully recognized and addressed. Each support plan is individualized, the levels of support are based solely on the person’s needs and natural support network they have around them.

For more information contact Lisa Johnson, Service Manager- Community Outreach and Service Coordination at  ljohnson@nullphdurham.com 24-Hour Supported Group Living

24-Hour Supported Group Living

All of our supported group homes are fully accessible and provide 24-hour assistance for individuals with varying levels of independence and support needs. Individuals are supported to direct their own care surrounding all needs.

This type of environment offers people opportunities to develop different life skills in order to fully participate in the activities of their daily life. Individuals receiving support are encouraged to take part and engage with their community so they can continue to experience personal growth in a valuable and meaningful way.

Supports Offered Include:

Health Management

•  Individuals work alongside staff to plan and prepare healthy meals throughout the day. People receiving support have full access to any type of assistance required for eating and drinking.
• Every person supported receives the level of guidance necessary to ensure and maintain daily personal care and hygiene needs.
• All supports needed for medical appointments, filling prescriptions, medication administration are available and provided by 24-hour support workers.
• Supports provided to ensure the upkeep of daily household cleaning, laundry, and overall household maintenance.

Financial Assistance

• All individuals have access to the supports needed to carry out their routine personal banking errands.
• Support with money management and bill payments are offered by our support team.
• By request of the individual, daily record of spending and expenses are kept on file and audited monthly by The Participation House’s leadership team.
• Monthly meetings held discuss personal financial goals and budgeting tools.

Community Building

• All individuals supported have full access to agency vehicles to strengthen and support access to their community. Support with booking Specialized Transit Services as required is also provided.
• Training opportunities offered to people receiving support who are interested in enhancing their transportation skills and learning how to use transit.
• Information about local community events and volunteer opportunities discussed routinely and posted at each location.
• Meetings with support workers and leadership team to plan vacations and meet travel goals.
• Promotion of social inclusion and independence in the community is a priority.

Lifestyle Planning/Person Centered Planning

• Each person receiving support has access to an annual Lifestyle Plan Meeting. This includes the individual, a facilitator, and their chosen support network to identify and discuss future goals and dreams.
• During this meeting, the person receiving support (or person advocating for them) will identify personal dreams and goals, and the team will work together to help develop a personalized plan to help the individual achieve them.
• The goal of a Lifestyle Plan is to promote personal choice, independence, individual rights and responsibilities, and social inclusion. It is a living document that grows and changes with the individual.
• Each goal has its own tracking sheet kept along with progress notes which are reviewed bi-annually.
• This plan also includes and addresses the levels of support needed for each area of the person’s life, an annual accessibility audit to support changing needs, and an annual information review to ensure understanding on a variety of different topics (abuse and awareness, sexual health and education, community resources, privacy and confidentiality, individual rights, agency mission and service policy, collection and use of information, etc.)

 Safety and Security

• All support staff and supported persons adhere to The Participation House Project Health and Safety Policies and Procedures in accordance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act of Ontario.
• Support staff available and providing hourly safety checks within 24-hour residential homes throughout the evening.
• On-Call management available for any and all emergency situations 24-hours a day.
• All individual’s receiving support take part in monthly fire and emergency drills. Annual fire safety and equipment inspection completed by the local fire department.
• All equipment is visually inspected prior to using, and any concerns are reported to management. Annual equipment inspections provided by Durham Medical.
• Training provided to all staff to ensure safe operating procedures when using any mechanical equipment.
• Monthly Health and Safety inspections completed by Health and Safety committee.
• Strict procedures for the reporting of all hazards, incidents, and /or accidents.

For more information contact 
Lisa Johnson, Service Manager-Community Outreach and Service Coordination at  ljohnson@nullphdurham.com