27 developmentally disabled adults in southwestern Ontario seek new home after government pulls funding

Autistic adults are looking for new home after government funding ended for a Lucan congregate facility, CTV London's Scott Miller has the details.

Larry Rowe absolutely loves living at his apartment inside Jake’s House Community Residences in Lucan.

“I’ve been here for over two years. I really like the food here. Yeah, and the staff are terrific,” said Rowe, who has a development disability.

Ruth and Paul Wannamaker, a married couple with developmental disabilities who are about to celebrate 25 years of marriage, have lived at Jake’s House almost since it opened in 2021.

“It was an answer to a prayer. Honestly, an answer to a prayer. I was very ill. They’ve been living with me, and I wasn’t in a position to be able to care for them anymore. And there was no place. And, it was an answer to a prayer,” said Jeanette Wannamaker, Paul’s sister and former caregiver.

Jake’s House is home to 27 individuals with varying degrees of autism and developmental disabilities. It provides independent living with the option of meals and around the clock nursing care, along with communal trips and activities.

“I did a cooking class in November and then three in January. We get to go out, and we get to do stuff, too,” said Crystal Marshall, who has been at Jake’s House for 15 months.

“Reading, writing, telling time, all of those are challenges for her. And, you know, she really loves this place. She has embraced it. They’ve embraced her. And, it’s just been a wonderful place,” said Aileen Knip, whose sister Eloise lives at Jake’s House.

But on Dec. 3, 2024, Ontario’s Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services stopped sending the $7,000 per month, per resident, they had been sending to Jake’s House because of what they called “ongoing compliance concerns.”

Jake’s House management said they were told by the Ministry the reason their funding was pulled was because of the institutional nature of their operation. Whatever the reason is, Jake’s House management said after funding the facility themselves for the past two months, they are out of money and will be forced to close as early as this Friday, unless the government resumes their funding. That impending closure leaves 27 vulnerable people with no place to go.

“It would be a disaster if it wasn’t here, because we’re not getting any younger. No place to go. And Larry has health issues. And he is so well looked after here,” said Audrey Rowe, Larry’s mother.

“Why on earth would they take away the funding from something that’s working really well, and leave us with very little alternative? Because, there’s really nothing like it in this area. And in any area, if you want to know the truth,” said Loralee Marshall, Crystal’s mother.

“Finding a home for a married couple with the kind of needs that Paul and Ruth have is virtually impossible. I mean, there’s a decades-long waitlist now for anybody with developmental disabilities, much less a married couple,” said a frustrated Jeanette Wannamaker.

The Ministry had this to say on the situation at Jake’s House, “Ministry staff informed Jake’s House leadership of its decision to terminate our transfer payment agreement with them due to ongoing compliance concerns, effective December 3, 2024, via written notice early in October 2024, and met with the Board following this notice.

Follow-up correspondence to Jake’s House outlined required action items to inform all Jake’s House Community Residences residents of the wind-down process and supporting them with exploring alternative ministry-funded options through the developmental services system.

The local Developmental Services Ontario (DSO) office continues to be available to work with individuals impacted (or their substitute decision makers) since early October 2024, to discuss how they can be supported, inform them about the next steps during this transition, and help them to understand options to access other ministry-funded local services and supports that may be available to them.

The ministry encourages individuals (or their substitute decision makers) to connect with their local DSO at 1-855-437-6797.”

Those currently calling Jake’s House home say they don’t want to leave, and their family members don’t understand what is happening, or where they are supposed to go with their loved ones who need constant and continuous care that they can no longer provide.

“Why would you take 27 placements away that are already providing tremendous, tremendous support? In fact, the model that should be adopted in a lot more places in in Ontario. We’ve been wondering what our plan B would be, and we don’t even have a plan B at this point. Jake’s House provides everything that that we would hope and wish for our daughter, to be able to live here for the rest of her life. We really thought it was her forever home,” said Crystal Marshall’s father, David.

“I don’t know what would happen to Larry. Yeah. I really don’t, because they don’t take people like that at nursing homes or any place like that. Yeah. I don’t know. We would be devastated and he would be devastated also,” said Audrey Rowe, Larry’s mother.

“To think, even think about not having this place, is devastating. Yeah, it hurts and it would make me very angry,” said Jeanette Wannamaker.