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Page 2
community support person would provide support to that individual, usually through daily, weekly or
monthly home visits for as long as needed. Supported housing probably comes closest to the ideal of having your own "home"
but with the money people receive on disability in Ontario nobody could actually afford a one-bedroom
apartment in the urban centers. I think that is common pattern across North America. Housing is inherently expensive. In Ontario an individual would have $414 for housing but in Guelph the
average one bedroom is probably about $550.
Subsidized apartments for people with disabilities have been in limited supply for two decades in Ontario, where the actual cost of a modest living space is subsidized by the government. The subsidy is attached to the unit and distinct from the disability benefits an individual receives. Instead of paying $650 for my apartment I pay $283 and the government pays the rest. If I wasn't working and didn't have any earnings I would be paying $139 for this apartment. Since I receive up to $414 for housing costs that is a very affordable rent. There is of course a shortage of such units across the province and the waiting lists can stretch beyond 7 years. That's how long I waited for my apartment. They can be clustered in apartment blocks where the majority of apartments are subsidized or they can be scattered across the city with individual landlords entering an agreement with the government for different units in different buildings. Many people with schizophrenia are functionally disabled in terms of employment and live in the community with very little in the way of support, housing or otherwise. I would guess a third or less of the people I know with schizophrenia are living in a subsidized apartment. A percentage of those are stable without community support, and case managers also support many people with inadequate housing. In fact they spend a lot of time helping people find better housing. With the treatment strategies and atypical medications available now there is theoretically less demand for supportive housing and greater demand for supported housing with a growing number of people returning to gainful employment and independence. The future has never looked so good, but that cannot hide the self defeating shortage of affordable supported "homes" for people disabled by schizophrenia across the continent. Go To Page: 1 2
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