What this page says
- CLBC was created in 2005 through a grassroots effort to promote choice, change and full citizenship for people with disabilities.
- Governed by the Community Living Authority Act, CLBC is led by the voices of people and families we serve.
- CLBC’s vision is “Communities of belonging, lives with connection.”
- CLBC connects people to services and their communities to help them live fulfilling lives.
- CLBC supports over 29,000 individuals across the province, with the majority of its funding going to services.
Our history

The Disability Pride Flag represents people with disabilities, the disability rights movement and disability pride.
Community Living British Columbia (CLBC) is a response to a civil rights movement that continues to be led by the people and families we serve today.
We are a unique government organization, created by a grassroots movement of people with disabilities (self-advocates), families, service providers and other community and government partners. Their advocacy established CLBC as a province-wide Crown corporation in 2005. They wanted an organization outside of the Ministry that could focus on choice and change and continued partnership, working together toward full citizenship for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in B.C.
The Community Living Authority Act was created by the Community Living Transition Steering Committee, made up of families, self-advocates and community and government partners.
Charlene Barney is an Indigenous self-advocacy leader who was on the initial steering committee that created CLBC in 2005. She has spent over 20 years advocating for people with disabilities and is a current member of CLBC’s Indigenous Advisory Committee and Accessibility Advisory Committee. To learn more about her journey, read Charlene’s story, in her own words, here.
The Community Living Authority Act, put in place in 2005, continues to govern CLBC and ensures that the work we do is guided by the voice and leadership of people and families we serve. Today, our governance structure includes 12 Community Councils, the Provincial Advisory Committee and Indigenous Advisory Committee, legislated to advise our Board of Directors.
- View a diagram explaining our governance structure here.
- Visit our Leadership at CLBC page here.
- Watch This is the Story of a Civil Rights Movement here to learn more.
“What struck me about CLBC from the beginning, and why I stay, was their commitment to stay connected to the perspectives and lived experiences of the people that they’re serving,” shares Jessica Humphrey, Manager of Community Engagement. Jessica joined CLBC 15 years ago in a position for someone like her, a mother of a child with a disability, to bring a family perspective to its service delivery. The support that daughter, now 23, receives has enabled her to live with support in her own apartment, study at the University of Victoria and get a summer job.
Connecting you to a network of community supports and services
All people are more included, and have a better quality of life, when their network of supports includes many things – the love of their family and friends, relationships with neighbours, support from employers, and active participation in community groups and social clubs.
CLBC’s vision statement is “Communities of belonging, lives with connection.” We help connect people to the funded services they need to live good lives and be full participants in their communities. We also help connect people to supports and resources in their communities.
CLBC provides as many services as possible within available funding
Community Living BC funds a range of services and also helps eligible individuals find opportunities to connect to their communities. What funded 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.
CLBC receives funding from the government to provide services to more than 29,000 individuals. CLBC’s yearly budget is $1.66 billon, and over 93 per cent of our budget goes to services for people receiving CLBC funded services.