Over half of parents with special needs children are forced to alter their employment to provide care, with nearly 50% experiencing financial hardship.
Statistics Canada / The Ontario Organization
In 2020, inspired by our autistic son Evan and his siblings, we created The Legacy Building Project, an initiative designed to create solutions for families met with limited options and long waiting lists for supportive housing, concerned over their child's future wellbeing.
We want to challenge conventional approaches to help disabled and high support needs adults build fuller, more independent lives while creating long term financial stability. Our vision is to create adaptable homes with intentional design - allowing families to accommodate caregivers, generate income through rental units, and crucially, give adults with additional needs the space and tools to develop skills and build independence to sustain themselves long term.
Through this pilot project we are working with municipalities, suppliers, contractors and other stakeholders to create clearer legislative pathways for families to follow, advocating for improved policy around property severances, building requirements, grants and interest free financing and reduced or waived fees for qualifying families.
We are working on two properties created from our severed North Toronto lot, once containing a 1947 bungalow, now two properties - a multigenerational family home with art studio space and a separate annex property.
As a volunteer working on our project, we invite you to use skills you already have and support you in learning new ones! We are currently seeking support to complete the annex property which will be sold to generate funds for the wider project. Remaining work includes appliance fitting, exterior metal work, landscaping, carpentry and interior decorating. We are also looking for help with content creation, fundraising, outreach and publicity.
We are particularly interested in hearing from members of the community experienced in skilled trades who would be interested in mentoring others.