Toronto mother sells house to support son with developmental disabilities
Vicki McCallum is the mother of 27-year-old Julian McCallum. He is deaf, has an intellectual disability and suffers from a genetic syndrome — a combination that means Julian lives at home and depends on his parents.
"We're just on a road heading for a crisis," says McCallum.
The Toronto woman has been trying to work with the province to secure funding and support for her son for years, she told CBC's Metro Morning. But it has been an uphill battle. Many of her calls to the community and social services ministry go unanswered, and she says she hasn't heard back from her MPP.
At one point, her son was receiving funding, but after he got a job at Whole Foods working five hours a week, that was cut off.
"He's been overlooked," says McCallum.
McCallum's story isn't unique. According to a report issued by Ontario's ombudsman last week, called Nowhere to Turn, inconsistencies and service gaps for adults with disabilities are leaving them abandoned, abused and often languishing in jails and hospitals without proper care.
Building your own group home
Without access to the care Julian needs, including supportive housing so he can live as an adult with some independence, McCallum decided to sell her house and purchase a townhouse for her son.
She and her husband plan to move in with him as he gets used to the new setting. Over time they will try to track down additional resources and new roommates for him — essentially building their own group home community.
"We're hoping that will grow and we can get some people with a wide range of disabilities to live in the area and that way we can share social supports and really importantly financial supports so we don't have to continue to pay one-on-one."
It's a last resort that McCallum says she was forced to consider when the province didn't step up.
"They need to start treating these individuals with more respect, and the families with more respect, and give us some information and transparency."
Ministry pledges to take action on report
McCallum's feelings were echoed in the ombudsman's report, which calls for a sweeping overhaul of the entire care system.
Social Services Minister Helena Jaczek says the ministry plans to implement the changes outlined in the report.
"I'm certainly very sorry about the situations," says Jaczek. "We should have taken a more active role. We needed a better response from the ministry."
But until she sees action, McCallum isn't convinced anything is going to change.
"We're going to believe this when we see it, because we've been in this for years and we haven't seen any concrete results."
