I am new to CLBC

• Community Living British Columbia (CLBC) is a Crown corporation that receives funding from the BC Government to provide supports and services for adults:
  • with intellectual and developmental disabilities
  • who have a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and who also need significant help with day-to-day tasks.

Services funded by CLBC

• Services are individualized, so each person receives support based on their disability-related needs.
• CLBC funds services for individuals through contracted agencies.
• Services can also be delivered through Individualized Funding or other self-directed models like microboards and person centred societies.
  • For more information, go to question 3 below: “What kind of support does CLBC provide?”

Our history

• CLBC was created by a grassroots movement of self-advocates, families, service providers and other community and government partners.
• It was their advocacy that established CLBC as a province-wide Crown corporation in 2005.
• For more information about how people and families are a part of the CLBC governance structure, visit our Leadership page here.
• Click here to learn more about CLBC and our history.

CLBC funds services for adults who are age 19 and over who have a diagnosis of:

• An intellectual disability, that started before age 18, or
• Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder or Autism Spectrum Disorder, and require a lot of help with daily tasks

You can find more information about our eligibility criteria on our website here.

You can also watch this video called: Understanding the criteria to become eligible for support from CLBC.

• CLBC funds services for people with an intellectual or developmental disability and/or a diagnosis of Autism or FASD.
• The amount and type of funded support available depends on how urgent your situation is and the amount of funding CLBC has available at the time of your request.
• CLBC also helps connect people to supports and resources that other agencies or organizations provide in their community. Click here for more information about how CLBC can help connect you to your community.

CLBC funds the following types of support for people who are eligible:

• Supports to participate in your communityThis includes supports for getting a job, making friends, taking part in hobbies, community inclusion and learning. Click here to learn more about supports to participate in your community.

• Supports to live in your homeThis includes supports for independent living, shared living, and staffed living (assistance with personal care, shopping, budgeting, learning to cook etc.) Click here to learn more about supports to live in your home.

• Supports for you and your family’s well-beingThis includes funding to organize or pay for services to help make daily life more comfortable, healthy and happy. This may include basic housekeeping, overnight care, peer support, mental health etc. Click here to learn more about supports for you and your family’s well-being

1. Submit an Application

• The first step is to apply for services with the CLBC office that is closest to where you live. You can find the contact information here on our website.
• When you call, let the CLBC staff member know you would like to start the application process and would like some support with eligibility.

2. CLBC checks to see if you are eligible

• An approved professional, like a psychologist, will need to complete an assessment and forms for you to share with CLBC. This assessment will help us see if you meet our eligibility criteria. You can find more information about our eligibility criteria on our website here.
  • Contact the CLBC office closest to you for help with this step. You can find the contact information here on our website.
  • You can also watch this video called Understanding the criteria to become eligible for support from CLBC.

3. Welcome and planning

• If you are confirmed to be eligible, a CLBC Facilitator will arrange to meet with you to start the welcome and planning process. The Facilitator will explain what kind of support CLBC provides and connect you to other supports in your community that could be helpful.
  • You can find more information about our welcome and planning process on the CLBC website here

4. Requesting CLBC funded support

• Once you have been through the welcome and planning process, you can work with a Facilitator to request CLBC funded support. The amount and type of support people get, and when, depends on how urgent their situation is and the amount of funding CLBC has at the time of the request.
  • You can find more information about the process for requesting CLBC funded services on our website here.
  • You can find more information about how CLBC makes funding decisions on the CLBC website here.
  • Watch a video called Understanding the steps to apply for support from CLBC on our website here.

• CLBC-funded services are provided based on an individual’s disability-related needs.
• The amount and type of funded support available depends on how urgent your situation is and the amount of funding CLBC has available at the time of your request.
• CLBC uses two tools to help make fair and consistent decisions about how much service a person can receive:
  • the Guide to Support Allocation (GSA) helps us make fair and consistent decisions about the services people receive
  • the Request for Service Priority tool helps us understand how urgently you need services.
• These tools make sure that we can:
  • quickly help people who need services the most
  • fund services for as many people as possible
• If your family situation changes, and if needs change or become more urgent, talk to your CLBC Facilitator to request a review.

Learn more about CLBC assessment tools on our website here

When you contact your local CLBC office, a CLBC Facilitator will help you find out if you are eligible for CLBC funded services. Click here to find and contact the closest CLBC office to you.

If you are eligible for CLBC funded services, a Facilitator will help you with:

• Connecting to community
  A facilitator will help you connect to general services and resources available in your community. They can help you identify ways to get involved in your community, based on your interests and strengths.
• Accessing and coordinating services
  A facilitator will provide you with information about what supports and services are available that will meet your disability-related needs, so you can decide what services you would like to request.The amount and type of funded support available depends on how urgent your situation is and the amount of funding CLBC has available at the time of your request.

• Planning, and adjusting services
  A facilitator will help you plan for, and request, your supports and help adjust them based on how your needs change over time (like changing supports as you age, helping with urgent situations, problem solving or addressing ongoing challenges).

You may work with more than one facilitator through your time with CLBC. For example, the facilitator who helps you with eligibility may be different to the facilitator who helps you with planning and requesting services.

For more information, visit Your Main Contact: A CLBC Facilitator page on our website.

Every year, CLBC gets funding from the BC government to provide services to more than 29,000 individuals.

CLBC’s budget for 2025 to 2026 is $1.8 billon. Over 93 per cent of our budget will be used to fund services for people eligible for CLBC support. Click here to view a graphic explaining how our money is spent.

• Our work is founded on principles of self-determination, supported decision making and assisting individuals to exercise their rights and responsibilities as Canadian citizens.
• Under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, all Canadians over the age of 19, regardless of intellectual ability, ethnicity, religion, gender, education etc., have the right to make decisions about their lives.
• The Charter “ensures that the government, or anyone acting on its behalf, doesn’t take away or interfere with these rights or freedoms in an unreasonable way.”
• For CLBC, this means we must listen to, respect, and adhere to, the choices individuals make for their lives.
• The Representation Agreement is a legal supported decision-making tool in BC that many individuals and families choose to set up when they turn 19 so that a trusted family member or friend can legally support day to day decisions, such as money and health. You can learn more about Representations Agreements on the Nidus website here.

CLBC has a mandate from the BC government to provide funding for services that support a persons’ disability-related needs.

This means we fund supports that have to do with having an intellectual or developmental disability and/or having Autism or FASD.

Below is a short list of the type of services that CLBC is not mandated to fund:

Medical and Health Services

• Medical procedures or treatments (such as hospital stays, surgeries, or medical prescriptions).
• Medical equipment (e.g., wheelchairs, hearing aids).
• Routine or specialized health care that is funded by other provincial health. services (e.g., medical benefits provided through the Medical Services Plan in BC). 

Recreational Expenses

• Extracurricular activities that are purely for recreation and not tied to skill. development or CLBC funded supports (e.g., vacations, entertainment costs). 

Personal Expenses and Housing Costs

• Rent or housing costs.
• Daily living costs such as food, clothing, and personal items.

General Transportation Costs

• Regular transportation costs, such as bus fares or gas. 

Debt or Financial Assistance

• Paying off personal debts or loans or providing funding for financial assistance.

CLBC is unable to fund services outside of our legislated mandate. However, we can help people to access support from other government or community organizations for services they may need for their quality of life.