Community Living Toronto

About Community Living Toronto:

Founded in 1948, Community Living Toronto (CLT) supports people who have an intellectual disability, working to ensure that their rights are respected, and they can make choices in their own lives. CLT operates more than 80 locations in Toronto which each offer a selection of services.

In F2018, Community Living Toronto allocated 67% of program spending to residential programs. Individuals can choose the level of care that best suits their needs and those of their family. Residential options include: three or more adults with intellectual disabilities living together with up to 24-hour help from support workers, placement with a host family, or living with a roommate who is a friendly college student.

For children and adults with an intellectual disability who live at home, CLT offers Respite Choices. For a few hours or up to a week, adults with a disability receive care, allowing their regular caretakers to have a short break. Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder can participate in regular respite care for a few hours after school. The cost is $10/day and children can attend up to three days per week. In F2018, 342 individuals were involved in Respite Choices.

In F2018, 750 children were involved in early childhood services. This program works with the families of children with intellectual disabilities to develop and implement a plan for the child’s learning. Families may be connected with professionals to receive occupational therapy or behaviour management techniques. To ensure that the Toronto community is inclusive of all children, CHT provides training for early childhood educators and other community groups.

During the summer, Community Living Toronto operates Shadow Lake summer camp. In F2018, 624 youth and adults attended the camp, either staying overnight or attending during the day. Depending on the amount of staff attention that a participant will require, the fee for attending camp is $1,500 to $2,275 per week. A bursary may be provided for participants who are unable to afford the fee.

In F2018, 4,395 people accessed CLT services. Based on total operating costs for the year, CLT spent $19,426 per person it helped.

Results and Impact:

Community Living Toronto works to find employment for adults with an intellectual disability to help them improve self-esteem. Ongoing support is provided to both employee and employer. In F2018, CLT reports that job placements included 27 positions with IBM and 14 with Celestica.

Financial Review:

Community Living Toronto is a medium-sized charity with $2.3m in donations in F2018. CLT received $72.2m in government funding which represents 84% of total revenues. Administrative costs are 7% of revenues less investment income. Fundraising costs are 8% of donations, however fundraising expenses include the cost of grant applications and other processes related to the receipt of grants. For every dollar donated, 85 cents go to the cause which is within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.

CLT’s interest-bearing debts exceed its gross funding reserves of $2.0m. Excluding interest-bearing debts, CLT could operate using reserve funds for less than a month.

This charity report is an update that has been sent to Community Living Toronto for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on May 24, 2019 by Madison Kerr.