Nova Scotia closes Lockeport residential care facility as disability remedy continues

Residential care facility in Lockeport closed as part of human rights remedy transformation

Atlantic Heights, a residential care facility in Lockeport, Shelburne County, officially closed on June 2. It was the third residential care facility in the province to close as part of Nova Scotia Human Rights Remedy transformation of disability supports for Nova Scotians. “This kind of change is a big moment in people’s lives, and we know it can come with excitement, as well as adjustment,” Opportunities and Social Development Minister Susan Corkum-Greek said in a news release. “With thoughtful planning and strong supports in place, people are moving into communities in ways that feel right for them. We’ll continue to be there as they settle in, making sure they feel safe, supported and confident as they build their next chapter.” RelatedNova Scotia on track to close institutions, transition disabled residents to community care by 2028Nova Scotia 'gaining traction' in disabled rights remedy but notable delays persist, expert saysProgress of N.S. disability rights remedy draws mixed reviews The human rights complaint that prompted the transformation dates back to 2014, when three individuals and the Disability Rights Coalition alleged that the province discriminated against people with disabilities by not providing the supports and services they need to live in the community. A Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission board of inquiry ruled in favour of the three individuals in 2019, and following a 2021 Nova Scotia Court of Appeal decision in the coalition’s favour regarding systemic discrimination, the province and coalition initiated a review process resulting in the remedy. The government is required to close all residential care facilities, adult residential centres, and regional rehabilitation centres for people with disabilities by the end of March 2028 as part of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Remedy. So far, Harbourside, Harbour Glen, and Atlantic Heights have been closed, with 17 more scheduled for closure, including five in the Western zone, said Erica Parrill, assistant communications director for the Department of Opportunities and Social Development. Residents are supported to move into community living. The five former residents of Atlantic Heights in Lockeport will continue to receive funded supports, and co-ordinators’ help, to ensure services remain responsive as needs or goals change. “Intensive planning and support co-ordinators worked closely with the former Atlantic Heights residents to develop individualized transition plans based on their goals, needs and preferences. Families, service providers and community partners were also involved in exploring housing and support options that best support independence and inclusion,” stated the media release. Parrill said intensive planning support co-ordinators (IPSCs) work one-on-one with residents to understand their goals, preferences, and what ‘home’ looks like for them, and build a transition plan around that. “They then help connect people with housing, community and health supports, and co-ordinate the move – staying involved to make sure the transition is smooth and continues to reflect each person’s needs over time,” said Parrill. In January, the province launched the HomeShare program as part of the remedy. Through the program, participants in Nova Scotia’s Disability Support Program who choose to live in a shared home are matched with a provider in their community. Providers are paid for the support and for room and board from the participant’s individualized funding. The response to the program has been positive, said Parrill. “We’re still in the early rollout phase – getting agreements in place, training staff, and working with organizations on the ground – so it will take a bit of time for the program to fully ramp up.” Earlier this spring, the province announced a partnership with Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) to open 30 more seats in the disability support professional program, which started last year. The new seats are at the Ivany campus in Dartmouth and are in addition to 100 full and part-time seats at campuses in Kentville and Sydney. Classes at the three campuses begin in September. Provincially-funded bursaries are available to cover the full cost of tuition, textbooks, and mandatory student fees, Parrill said. There are 225 participants in residential care facilities provincewide, including 65 participants in the Western zone. The province ended all new admissions to adult residential centres, regional rehabilitation centres, and residential facilities effective Jan. 1, 2025.

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Nova Scotia on track to close institutions, transition disabled residents to community care by 2028

Nova Scotia is on track to close all its care homes for people living with disabilities by 2028 and move residents into the community. A system has been created to provide support and funding to enable residents of the homes to transition to in-community living. “Closing institutions could be a very simple act: they’re closed, out you go,” said Susan Corkum-Greek, minister of opportunities and social development, while releasing a progress report on the deinstitutionalization of the province’s disabled persons. “We want to help people chose where they want to live, how they want to live, but also provide the supports.” The deinstitutionalization, branded as “the remedy,” is a response to a 2021 Nova Scotia Court of Appeal decision that found the province was systematically discriminating against disabled persons by not providing adequate supports and choices that would allow them to live in communities. Entering Year 4 of the five-year plan, the province has so far closed one of its eight large sites, the Harbourside Adult Residential Facility in Yarmouth. It has transitioned 300 of the 870 residents in institutional care to community-based living. As of January, no new residents are being admitted to institutions with more than four beds. The Chronicle Herald has heard concerns from frontline social workers that some facility residents with high levels of needs would be better served by institutional care. Maria Medioli, executive director of the department’s disability support program, said she has heard this concern “quite a bit.” “We have lots and lots of people living in community with complex needs,” said Medioli. She said residents can live fuller lives in communities with the support system that has been built, and when residents resist leaving it is because they haven’t experienced anything other than institutional care. Her observations were backed by Corkum-Greek, who said once residents are living in the community they find they have fuller lives. The Disability Rights Coalition of Nova Scotia hailed the progress of deinstitutionalization and called for it to be accelerated. “The province has laid important groundwork, and we are beginning to see what is possible when people are supported to live in community with dignity and choice,” reads a written statement from Kim Long, spokesperson for the coalition’s board. “But the remedy requires the full engagement of all of government — not just one department — and a shared commitment to a human rights approach across all systems. There is still much collaborative work ahead. If accountability, investment, and cross-government leadership remain strong, this transformation can deliver on its promise for current and future generations.”

1 day ago