13,000 Adults with Developmental Disabilities Receiving Support

 

Province to Eliminate 2014 Passport Waitlist One Year Ahead of Schedule

Ontario will eliminate the 2014 Passport waitlist by the end of next month -- one year ahead of schedule -- providing direct funding for 13,000 adults with developmental disabilities.

Passport is a government program that provides direct funding to adults with developmental disabilities so they can take part in community programs, develop work and daily life skills, hire a support worker and live independently.

When the Passport program was first launched in 2006 it served 1,700 people. Passport now supports more than 19,000 people with developmental disabilities and will continue to grow, supporting an estimated 24,000 recipients by 2017-18.

As the number of eligible people for Passport funding continues to grow, addressing the waitlist is critical to ensuring that people with developmental disabilities across the province receive the supports they need as soon as possible.

Supporting adults with developmental disabilities is part of Ontario's plan to create jobs, grow our economy and help people in their everyday lives.

Quick Facts

• Ontario is eliminating the 2014 Passport waitlist, providing 13,000 adults with developmental disabilities with direct funding by the end of the 2016-17 fiscal year.
• Since 2014, Ontario has been transforming and improving developmental services, through a landmark three-year $810 million investment.
• There are an estimated 70,000 adults with developmental disabilities in Ontario; close to 20,000 are supported through the Passport direct funding program.
• Ontario currently invests over $2 billion a year on developmental services.