OCSP Funds in Action: Community Care Concepts of Woolwich, Wellesley and Wilmot

How one CSS organization used OCSP funding to safeguard hospitals throughout the COVID-19 crisis.

January 24, 2022

While taking preventative actions to safeguard our healthcare system may have been a new concept for the general public, brought to light by COVID-19, it has long been a driving force for Community Support Sector (CSS) organizations.

Such is the case for Community Care Concepts of Woolwich, Wellesley and Wilmot, the only CSS provider across three townships and rural Waterloo Region. “We are the go-to organization for supporting seniors, or what we would call ‘adults with unique needs’ to live in their homes,” Executive Director Cathy Harrington explains.

These supports include home care services like light housekeeping or home maintenance assistance, nutrition programs like Meals on Wheels, transportation services to help seniors and adults with disabilities attend their medical appointments, and respite and adult day programs, which afford family caregivers essential rest and support.

Cathy explains that, without services like the ones they offer, vulnerable individuals would struggle, putting physical and financial pressure on other parts of the healthcare system. “They would be contacting their physician, if they had one, they'd be showing up in Emerge. Their needs would be escalating to a certain point that they would become much more in a state of crisis.”

But individuals in need don’t always approach organizations like Community Care Concepts of Woolwich, Wellesley and Wilmot for help. Sometimes, they don’t know help is available, or worry that it will come at a cost. “Many people fear that someone will assess them, and decide that they can't stay in their own home,” Cathy says. The reality is, CSS organizations will not remove folks from their homes– in fact, their aim is to do the exact opposite. Helping people age at home – and keeping them out of hospitals and long-term care – is exactly what the community care sector excels at.

With a catchment area spanning a large, rural geography, and an aging population, where “two of the three townships that we serve have a higher percentage of older adults than in the rest of the region,” connecting their services with the people who need them the most can be challenging for Community Care Concepts of Woolwich, Wellesley and Wilmot.

To help, they’ve developed a network of community partnerships to connect with potential clients as efficiently as possible—a system that prepared them well for the past couple of years. “The pandemic really shone a spotlight on our need to work together,” Cathy says, “For us, it's trying to figure out…what other services [folks are] already engaged with, and how we can work with those other providers to complement the work that they're doing.”

A bunch of red and green bags filled with food

One opportunity to do this came through long-standing partnerships with the local police and bylaw officers. “Working with the Waterloo Regional Police Services and our local Community Resource Officer, we provided care packages that could be distributed as they were dispatched to calls and vulnerable residents were identified,” Cathy says. “With support of OCSP funding, the Community Resource Officer identified an elderly client who did not have access to food. The care package provided immediate support until the individual could be linked to subsidized meals through Meals on Wheels and additional supports.”

Another form of outreach this year was working with a local group called Stuffin Stockings. By helping to deliver stockings of donated goods to vulnerable individuals, Community Care Concepts of Woolwich, Wellesley and Wilmot was able to connect with close to 300 people who could potentially use their services.

While reaching and helping people who need it is always a win for Community Care Concepts, the risk that a growing number of people may become reliant on their services comes with a new set of challenges. “I think that the challenge for us is, what happens after the end of [the Ontario Community Support] program? Because we have attracted far more individuals than we would have been serving before, [who] all have very real needs. And those needs will not go away when the funding [ends],” Cathy says. “How do we sustain that?”

Although Ontario’s strong Home and Community Support Sector is vital for a sustainable health system, precarious funding puts the future of programs like these in serious jeopardy – and puts the entire health system at risk. “We were so thankful to have the Ontario Community Support Program, because it gave us additional flexibility, to be able to truly respond to those needs that were out there,” Cathy says. “But…the needs continue to climb. And long after the program is over, we'll have to continue to figure out as an organization how we respond to those needs.”

While the future may be uncertain, Community Care Concepts of Woolwich, Wellesley and Wilmot, like so many CSS organizations, is leaning on its strengths to find the way forward: resilience, productive partnerships, and a strong sense of what vulnerable people need locally, on the ground.

More Updates

Ontario Community Support Association Warns Budget 2026 Must Protect Community Care or Hospital Pressures Will Worsen

By Karla Sealy • January 16, 2026

Ottawa, Ontario – [January 14, 2026] — The Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) is calling on the provincial government to prioritize sustained investment in Home Care and Community Support Services in the 2026 Ontario Budget. Without action, seniors will lose essential services and hospital emergency rooms will face even greater pressures. Appearing today before the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs, OCSA CEO Lori Holloway highlighted that community-based care is a cornerstone of Ontario’s health system—keeping people healthy at home, enabling them to age with dignity and preventing unnecessary hospital and long-term care admissions. “Without new investment in Community Support Services, seniors will lose meals and personal care services, caregivers will lose day programs for their loved ones, and hospital beds will fill up as more people are stuck waiting for care that should be delivered at home,” said Holloway. OCSA represents more than 200 not-for-profit home care and community care providers across Ontario, delivering services such as high-needs home care, Meals on Wheels, assisted living, transportation to medical appointments, adult day programs for people living with dementia, and respite supports for caregivers. While the province has made recent investments in home care expansion, OCSA emphasized that these gains are fragile if the community supports that enable people to remain safely at home are allowed to erode. Community Support Services account for less than two per cent of Ontario’s total health budget, yet received no funding increase in Budget 2025 . As a result, many providers are already planning service reductions or facing difficult decisions, including reducing meal delivery routes, limiting day programs and respite services, scaling back transportation programs, and closing adult day programs for part of the week. In turn, service reductions will place additional strain on working caregivers, 69% of whom are experiencing burnout and nearly half of whom are considering leaving the workforce to care for their loved ones. “These are not abstract risks,” Holloway said. “They are real service reductions being planned right now in communities across the province.” When community supports are unavailable, patients end up in hospital and/or remain in hospital beds longer—not because they need acute care, but because the services required for safe discharge do not exist. A hospital Alternate Level of Care (ALC) bed costs approximately $730 per day , compared to $103 per day for home and community care. Ontario’s aging demographics make the issue increasingly urgent. Nearly one in five Ontarians is now over the age of 65 , and the senior population is expected to grow significantly over the next decade. OCSA is urging the government to immediately: Sustain home care through a renewed multi-year investment of $442 million investment annually, and predictable funding; Invest $150 million annually to stabilize Community Support Services and prevent service cuts; and Address workforce shortages by closing the wage gap facing community health workers, who earn 23 to 46 per cent less than their hospital counterparts. “Ontario cannot build its way out of an aging population with hospitals and long-term care beds alone,” Holloway said. “Care delivered at home and in the community is where people want to be, and it is the most cost-effective and compassionate approach for the health system.” About the Ontario Community Support Association The Ontario Community Support Association represents more than 200 not-for-profit organizations providing home care and community support services across the province. OCSA members deliver essential services that help people live independently, age at home, and reduce pressure on hospitals and long-term care. For more information visit www.ocsa.on.ca or @OCSATweets For media inquiries please contact: Karla Sealy (she/her) Manager of Communications 416-256-3010/1-800-267-6272, ext 242 karla.sealy@ocsa.on.ca

Ontario Community Support Association Welcomes $1.1 Billion Investment in Home Care Announced in Fall Economic Statement

By Davina Yawson • November 7, 2025

Toronto, ON – The Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) welcomes the Government of Ontario’s announcement in the 2025 Fall Economic Statement of a $1.1 billion investment to protect and expand home care services. This significant commitment demonstrates government’s recognition of the vital role that home and community care plays in the province’s healthcare system. “The Ontario Community Support Association welcomes this significant investment in home care. Previous funding commitments have helped stabilize the sector, supporting a measurable reduction in staff turnover and fewer missed care visits. These improvements mean more Ontarians are receiving the care they need, when and where they need it. We encourage the government to continue to invest in programs like Hospital to Home and organizations that bring together home care, community support, and independent living services, which are essential to building a system that keeps people healthy, connected, and cared for at home.” — Lori Holloway, Chief Executive Officer, Ontario Community Support Association As the province looks ahead, OCSA stands ready to collaborate with the Ministry of Health and system partners to advance innovative models that integrate home care, community support, and independent living services. Together, these efforts will help build a sustainable, connected system that keeps people healthy and cared for at home. About the Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) OCSA represents the full spectrum of organizations that deliver home and community support services across Ontario, helping people live independently and with dignity where they want to be—at home. Through advocacy, research, and member collaboration, OCSA works to strengthen the sector and build a more connected, person-centered health system. Media Contact: Karla Sealy Ontario Community Support Association Email: karla.sealy@ocsa.on.ca Website: www.ocsa.on.ca

OCSA releases new policy paper: Transforming Seniors’ Care—A Roadmap for Creating Healthy Ageing Community Hubs in Ontario

By Davina Yawson • June 13, 2025

With Ontario’s senior population expected to nearly double by 2046, the need for coordinated, community-based care has never been more urgent. OCSA’s latest policy paper outlines a practical roadmap for scaling Healthy Ageing Community Hubs—integrated models that deliver health, social, and housing supports to help older adults age safely at home. The paper identifies six key policy recommendations: integrated and flexible funding, expansion of existing models, streamlined regulation, digital health integration, empowered local leadership, and province-wide service mapping. These hubs are already demonstrating improved outcomes—from reduced hospital use to higher client satisfaction—but scaling them requires system-level action. This paper is a call to policymakers, health system leaders, and community organizations to build on what works.