About Us
‘Community Living’ – It’s What We’re All About
Our name, “Community Living,” has a special meaning.
It’s different, we admit. But considering what we do, we think you’ll agree that our name tells exactly what we’re about. And we hope you’ll agree that not only our name, but also the work that we do and the goals that we have, make perfect sense.
Community Living is a way of life, not a goal. Ordinary people live in communities. Children go to neighbourhood schools. Adults work at jobs, get paid for their work, and contribute to the community as productive citizens.
When we began 56 years ago, for many people who had intellectual (or developmental) disabilities, community living was a dream. It was an objective yet to be realized. Until 2009, some still lived in Ontario government institutions. Others were physically in, but had little connection with the community around them — as children, they were in segregated classrooms or in schools far away from neighbourhood children; as adults, they were often excluded from the workforce. At all ages, many faced physical and social barriers that kept them from participating in the social, recreational and economic world around them.
For more than 56 years, Community Living has worked to bring people and their communities together:
· We support individuals as they develop their capacity to live, learn, work and participate in all aspects of living in the community; and
· We help the community develop its capacity to welcome and support people who have not always had the same opportunities as the rest of us to participate in community life in meaningful, productive ways.
The direct service and support we provide is essential for many individuals and their families. Others simply need social or attitudinal barriers dismantled to enable them to make their way in the community. In both direct and indirect ways, supporting people to contribute and participate makes good economic sense, and produces communities that are vibrant and strong. It’s also the right thing to do.
By now, our name, “Community Living,” will make sense. Rather than call ourselves by the labels that are used to categorize and therefore “separate” people from their aspirations, we take a different approach —declaring in our very name our commitment to enhancing communities so that everyone can belong and participate.
We believe that this is a vision and goal that you will share for your community. A complete community includes all its members.
Community Living is at its core a voluntary association of concerned community members. The members are the owners of the corporation. Members are the source of authority, which is normally delegated by the members to a Board of Directors elected annually.There is the potential to have 16 Directors with a total of 15 votes. The Executive Directors serves as Secretary to the Board and has no vote. Community Living Kingston is an "approved corporation" which means it has been designated as a corporation that meets all the requirements necessary for the the Ontario government to contract with it. The organization is accountable for the use of public funds it is permitted to hold in trust for the people of Ontario.Community Living Kingston is a constituent member of Community Living Ontario and Canadian Association for Community Living (CACL). The Kingston Association was founded on November 19, 1953 and joined the provincial federation started earlier that year.Today, this organization is making a valuable contribution to the community. People who need support have it. People who depend on that support are able to add their contribution to the community through participation.
