The Journey to Here: Stories and Archives

In September 1999, the Support to Aging Families Pilot Project was established as an outreach and education Pilot Project. It was initially directed at reaching out to aging parents who have children with disabilities who are aging themselves. It had a particular emphasis on addressing the needs of those aging families who were isolated and who had never before accessed services or funding for family members with developmental disabilities within three distinct regions in Ontario- Dufferin; Guelph- Wellington and Durham. The purpose of the pilot was to work with these families to decide collectively the best way to provide them with the support and resources they need to plan for their sons/daughters futures within the context of a supportive network of other families and community members. The focus of the Facilitation support was on the creation of family groups, learning opportunities and providing planning support to individuals within the context of their families.

On August 15th 2002, the pilot formalized itself into a family governed organization by the name of Families for a Secure Future. It expanded its focus to serve all families who have an adult with a developmental disability that has begun some form of transition planning. This focus recognizes that for family groups to be sustainable and to work optimally they need to be composed of families of diverse age groups. There still remains an emphasis on reaching out to rural aging families who need planning support even though some of the Family Groups are in suburban areas.

The Journey to Here: Stories and Archives

In September 1999, the Support to Aging Families Pilot Project was established as an outreach and education Pilot Project. It was initially directed at reaching out to aging parents who have children with disabilities who are aging themselves. It had a particular emphasis on addressing the needs of those aging families who were isolated and who had never before accessed services or funding for family members with developmental disabilities within three distinct regions in Ontario- Dufferin; Guelph- Wellington and Durham. The purpose of the pilot was to work with these families to decide collectively the best way to provide them with the support and resources they need to plan for their sons/daughters futures within the context of a supportive network of other families and community members. The focus of the Facilitation support was on the creation of family groups, learning opportunities and providing planning support to individuals within the context of their families.

On August 15th 2002, the pilot formalized itself into a family governed organization by the name of Families for a Secure Future. It expanded its focus to serve all families who have an adult with a developmental disability that has begun some form of transition planning. This focus recognizes that for family groups to be sustainable and to work optimally they need to be composed of families of diverse age groups. There still remains an emphasis on reaching out to rural aging families who need planning support even though some of the Family Groups are in suburban areas.