What this page says
- If you are eligible for CLBC supports, independent living support is one option.
- This support is for people who live independently or with others who are not paid caregivers.
- With this option, you get support with daily tasks from someone at your home or other places in your community that help you to live independently
- For example, support staff might help you with things at your home like budgeting or getting organized – or with things in community that help you live independently like banking, communicating with your landlord, or attending dentist or doctor appointments.
- Independent living support has many benefits and can positively impact your quality of life.
- You will receive support from staff who have been screened and trained to support you in this kind of environment.
- You can talk to a CLBC facilitator about this support and other supports to live in your home.
When you access independent living support, you live without a paid caregiver in a home in your community that you own, lease or rent, and get some help with daily living. This can include things like cooking, budgeting, personal care, recreation, and connecting to your community. People who choose this option are interested in living without a paid caregiver.
Independent living support might be the only CLBC-funded support you receive or it could be one part of your plan. The kind and amount of support you receive is based on the need for support in specific areas and the availability of that support. Visit the Understand CLBC Funding Decisions page for more details.
What are the benefits of independent living supports?
Independent living supports can have a positive impact on your quality of life:
- You will have the help you need to live independently
- Independent living support might also help you to develop skills relating to taking care of yourself and your home to become more independent and confident.
- Qualified staff support you and help you connect to and get help from people and resources in the community where you live.
What are the different types of independent living?
The two main types of independent living supports are:
- One-on-one support: in this option, a support person helps you one on one with the things you need to keep living independently and successfully. This support might happen at your home or in community.
- Shared support: in this option, a support person’s time is shared between you and other people that CLBC supports who live independently. In these situations, the people supported live close to each other (for example, in the same apartment building). The support person might live close too.
How can CLBC help connect me with supported living?
If you are eligible for CLBC services, a facilitator can talk with you about your options. They can help you develop and initiate a plan to connect with services that are funded by CLBC and other resources in your community. This could include independent living supports.
CLBC works with service providers across B.C. that are qualified to deliver independent living. If you are interested in this support, a CLBC facilitator can provide you and your family with more information and can introduce you to service providers that could offer the kind of support you want and need at this point in your life.
Talk to a facilitator about independent living options
To talk with a CLBC facilitator about independent living support, please contact your local CLBC office. A CLBC facilitator can answer questions you have.
Find your local office contact information here.
Learn more
Report on independent living support Roundtable
Exploring New Ways To Live In Community: A Conversation about Supported Living for People with Developmental Disabilities In B.C. offers thoughts about how independent living supports are currently delivered and how this support to live in your home could look in the future. The report summarizes the results of a survey and roundtable discussion that were initiated by a group of service providers and supported by Community Living BC in 2013. (Note: when the report was written, CLBC referred to independent living supports as ‘supported living’)
Watch these videos below about a group of people receiving independent living support: