Wednesday August 19th, 2009 - While in town for a Provincial Cabinet Meeting at Fleming College, Minister Meilleur dropped in on a few community members supported by Community Living Peterborough. The visit was hosted by Laura Challice and Kate Eastabrook. Laura and Kate share an apartment in a beautifully restored heritage building known as the The Woollen Mill. The apartment complex is a Peterborough Housing Corporation initiative which provides affordable housing to members of the community. For Laura and Kate the Woollen Mill has also provided an inclusive living environment, and a huge step toward independent living in.

Community Living Peterborough has made great strides in shifting their supports from group home settings to supporting people to live independently in inclusive living environments within the community.  “It was truly inspiring to tour the residences at the historic Woollen Mill as well as meet the people of Community Living Peterborough,” said Madeleine Meilleur, Minister of Community and Social Services.  “The Woollen Mill affordable housing project teaches us all a very valuable lesson – people from all walks of life, including those with an intellectual disability, have a very important role to play in making our local community feel like home.”

Jack Gillan, C.E.O. of Community Living Peterborough commented: "Today's visit presented a great opportunity to show Minister Meilleur first hand, the value of social service dollars at work in the Peterborough community. The journey to provide supports to people in their own homes rather than a group home setting has been a long one, but one that has been very satisfying. To be in the presence of people who lived in group homes for years, who now beam with pride of ownership in their own homes, makes the struggle for change worth the effort."  Gillan also stated, " I would be remiss if I did not mention the very productive partnerships that we have with the Peterborough Housing Corporation and the City of Peterborough Housing Department which has made the job of helping people find their own homes a lot less daunting."    [see photos]

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The goal of the Ministry of Community and Social Services is to build thriving and inclusive communities sustained by the economic and civic contributions of all Ontarians. The ministry’s mission is to build resilience and remove obstacles that impede opportunity and participation in community life.It does this through policy development and program support for a broad range of services aimed at supporting Ontario’s most vulnerable citizens.

Key areas of responsibility include:

• income and employment supports;

• social and community services;

• services for adults with developmental disabilities; and

• achieving accessibility for Ontarians with disabilities.

The ministry works with people with disabilities and with public and private sector organizations to create an accessible society through the development and implementation of accessibility standards.