Special Services at Home

This program assists children, youth and adults with disabilities who live at home with their families. SSAH’s focus is to provide funds to purchase supports not available elsewhere in the community and is a model for individualized, consumer-directed funding.

What can I use the funding for?

Personal Development and Growth – This could include helping a person acquire new skills and abilities, such as improving communication skills or supporting a person as he or she undertakes activities associated with daily living.

Family Relief and Support – Respite provides a break for the family and may help avoid burnout, stress and fatigue. It provides an opportunity for the family to have a different experience, build new relationships and learn new skills.

Who can apply?

Parents, family members and legal guardians of children with a developmental or physical disability under the age of 18 and adults with a developmental disability. Individuals 16 years of age or older with a disability can apply on behalf of themselves.

Who is eligible?

To be eligible, the individual with the disability must be:

A resident of Ontario, have ongoing functional limitations as a result of a disability, require support beyond that which is a normal family responsibility, and be living at home with their families or living away from their family’s home, but not residing in a Ministry-funded residential setting.

How do I apply?

You can apply by filling out an application on your own or by contacting the IFDS team at Community Living Wallaceburg. You can obtain an application by clicking on the following link Special Services at Home Application. You will need medical documentation clearly confirming the diagnosis of the individual with the disability.

How are funding decisions made?

Applications are reviewed by a Special Agreements Officer from the Ministry of Community and Social Services, who sets priorities based on several factors, including the type and amount of service your family needs, what you need in order to enhance your ability to cope with providing care, the complexity of the support required as a result of the level of the ongoing functional limitation, supports and services currently available in the community, locally identified priorities, and availability of funds.

Since SSAH operates on a fixed allocation of funding, it is necessary to re-apply for services every year.