Many stakeholders in Ontario have advocated for direct funding – where people manage and pay for their own supports rather than choosing options offered by a service agency – for several decades. Community Living Ontario supports the growth of direct funding because it has been shown to increase flexibility, control, and quality of life for people and families who choose this option. It also tends to decrease per-person costs of government-funded supports, since people using direct funding are more likely to build natural supports in the community and need less paid support. However, we believe that more work is required to understand how the change may affect overall service quality.
