For most of us, community living is simply part of everyday life. We live in neighbourhoods, send our children to local schools, work in jobs that let us contribute to the world around us, and take part in the small, ordinary moments that make up a full life, like a coffee with a friend, a Saturday soccer game, a walk downtown. These experiences give us a sense of belonging, purpose, and connection that many of us rarely stop to think about.
But for many people with intellectual disabilities, this vision of community life has remained out of reach. Even with progress over the decades, many people still live apart from the wider community, in group homes, in isolation, or without the everyday chances to connect that most people take for granted. From an early age, many children with intellectual disabilities are placed in segregated classrooms, separated from their peers in neighbourhood schools. As they grow older, they continue to encounter barriers to participating fully in community life, whether that means playing on a local sports team, attending community events, finding meaningful employment, or simply building lasting friendships.
For over 70 years, Community Living St. Catharines has worked to change that reality, one relationship, one opportunity, and one community connection at a time.
Community Living St. Catharines' story began not with an organization, but with a group of parents who refused to accept that their children didn't belong. Over the seven decades since, that same spirit has driven every milestone, every new program, and every shift toward a more inclusive community.
What has remained constant across these seven decades is a simple, unwavering belief: that people with intellectual disabilities deserve the opportunity to live meaningful lives, connected, included, and empowered in their communities.
Community Living St. Catharines was built on a vision of a community where we all belong, one where people with intellectual disabilities have the opportunity to participate in every element of community life.
Our mission is to change the status quo by fostering inclusion and creating real community connections. We support people with intellectual disabilities in living the lives they choose, as fully included, valued, and contributing members of their communities.
This belief has guided our work since the beginning. We believe that:
Seventy years later, this belief still shapes every program, partnership, and relationship at Community Living St. Catharines.
Everything we do is grounded in a shared set of values that have carried Community Living St. Catharines through more than seven decades of service:
Respect — People are accepted for who they are and treated equally as valued members of the community.
Inclusion — People lead lives as full, participating members of the community and are accepted for their differences.
Independence — People make informed choices from a wide variety of options and direct their own lives to the best of their ability.
Rights & Responsibilities — People know and exercise their rights and take responsibility for their own actions.
Education & Growth — People have the right and opportunity to learn and develop, and to teach others.
Relationships — People have mutual and meaningful connections to family, friends, and other important people in their lives.
Health & Wellness — People are in the best possible health and receive care that addresses their physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
Freedom from Harm — People feel safe, are free from abuse, and are treated with dignity and respect.
Over the past seven decades, Community Living St. Catharines has grown from a small group of committed families into an organization with a wide-reaching presence in our community. The numbers tell part of the story:
Behind every one of these numbers is a person, a family, and a relationship, proof that seven decades of steady, values-driven work can add up to real, lasting community impact.
Seventy-plus years is a long time. Long enough to see real, generational change in how our community understands and welcomes people with intellectual disabilities. It's also long enough to know that the work of building a fully inclusive community is not finished.
Staff often describe our programs as more than just a service; they're a space that belongs to the people who use it. Louanne Hooton, a Direct Support Professional of 40+ years has shared that, much like the rest of us have our own social circles, whether that's coworkers, classmates, or friends, the people supported by Community Living St. Catharines have their group too. It's a place where they see familiar faces, spend time with the friends they connect with most, and come back each week ready to reconnect after time apart. For many, it's simply their community hub, one that keeps them engaged with others while still remaining active and included in the wider community.
As we mark this milestone, we're taking time to celebrate the people, families, staff, volunteers, and community partners who have shaped Community Living St. Catharines' history, and to recommit to the vision that brought us here: a community where we all belong.
Community Living St. Catharines' story is still being written, and there are many ways to be part of it. Whether you're interested in working with us, volunteering, supporting our programs through a donation, partnering with us as a local business or organization, or simply learning more about what inclusive community living looks like, we invite you to reach out and get involved.