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Community Living Toronto offers various flexible short-term care and supports outside of the home, that can be provided for a few hours, a few days, or up to a week to meet the needs of children (age 2-17) and adults (age 18+) with an intellectual disability and/or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who live in the community with a parent or caregiver. Specialized respite supports are also offered to children with autism and people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

For information about other respite programs in your neighbourhood, visit respiteservices.com. 

Click here for the most recent COVID-19 updates regarding all of our respite programs.

For more information about our Respite Choices, call 647-729-0450 or email respitechoices@cltoronto.ca.

ADULT RESPITE

Adult respite continues to be temporarily closed. We are working hard on our property renovations and will be offering an exciting, refreshed and innovative program for adults with an intellectual disability by mid December 2022.

To access this service, you must:

  • be 18 years of age or older and live with a family caregiver

and you must provide:

  • a DSO Letter of Eligibility
  • a photocopy of a psychological/developmental assessment or DSO report
  • your immunization record, including the COVID-19 vaccine (if applicable in accordance with public health and government guidelines)

and you must complete:

  • a Respite Choices Registration Form
  • a Respite Plan of Care Form
  • an Admission Health Information Form
  • a PRN Protocol for Respite Services
  • a signed Personal Information Consent Form
  • Video Monitoring Consent (if applicable)

Locations

Adult respite will be available by mid-December, 2022 at a newly renovated property at Main and Danforth.

CHILDREN’S RESPITE

Click here to see our May-June 2022 program schedule for both Lawson and Ennerdale Children’s Respite.

To access this service, you must:

  • be between the ages of 2 and 17 and live with a family caregiver

and you must provide:

  • a doctor’s note identifying intellectual disability and/or autism diagnosis
  • your immunization record, including the COVID-19 vaccine (if applicable in accordance with public health and government guidelines)
  • a psychological/developmental assessment

and you must complete:

  • a Respite Choices Registration Form
  • a Respite Plan of Care Form
  • an Admission Health Information Form
  • a PRN Protocol for Respite Services
  • a signed Personal Information Consent Form
  • Video Monitoring Consent (if applicable)

Locations

Children’s respite is available at our Lawson location in Scarborough.

Respite for children with an ASD diagnosis is available at our Ennerdale location at Eglinton and Dufferin.

Respite Choices Intake Process:

Step 1. Contact us to arrange a tour! 647-729-0450 or respitechoices@cltoronto.ca 

Step 2. Complete our Respite Choices intake package

You will receive these documents when you come for a tour. If you would prefer to receive these documents by email, please contact respitechoices@cltoronto.ca.

Step 3. Observation/Short Visit

Once the intake package has been submitted, the program will schedule a short visit (3-4 hours) with the person attending respite. 

Step 4. Scheduling Respite

After completing the short visit, we’ll provide you with some dates for your next visit. It will be your responsibility to book future dates directly with your Respite Choices program.

Additional Respite Choices

In addition to our year-round programs for adults and children with an intellectual disability, CLTO’s Respite Choices include summer camps and after school programs.

Summer Camp Choices

Shadow Lake Centre
Location: Stouffville
Eligibility: All ages
Shadow Lake Centre is a residential summer camp that runs from June to August each year. Situated on its own private lake, activities include boating, swimming, fishing, paddle boating, and canoeing. There is an accessible cabin, an accessible splash pad, and wheelchair accessible paths. For a list of current session dates and fees, visit shadowlakecentre.ca. To arrange a tour, call 905.640.6432.

Autism Camp
Location: Shadow Lake Centre, Stouffville
Eligibility: Children ages 11-17 with a primary diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Autism Camp at Shadow Lake Centre has a 1:2 staff/camper ratio with six spaces available. Children attending have the opportunity to participate in all the activities Shadow Lake Centre has to offer. All meals are included. This camp runs for 4 nights/5 days in August.

Summer Day Respite
Location: Toronto-wide
Eligibility: Children with an intellectual disability
Community Living Toronto provides staffing support to Toronto Parks and Recreation for their summer camp programs. For more information or to register, visit toronto.ca.

Scarborough Day Camps
Day camp opportunities are available for 2 week periods. 1:1 staffing support is provided to enable children & youth to participate in community-based, inclusive summer activities of their choice.
For more information, contact 647.729.1635.

After-School Respite

We run various After School Respite programs for children with an intellectual disability and/or autism spectrum disorder. We can help with homework, do activities like colouring, puzzles and board games, watch movies, go on outings and more! Staff can use visuals to show schedules and offer choices. Snack is provided. Registration is required.

TRE-ADD Respite Program

TRE-ADD Respite Program operates out of a spacious two story house located in a residential area. The house has six bedrooms each with its own bed, five bathrooms, and a large common area. There are many rooms that the children can choose from and enjoy activities. There is a Play/Sensory room on the bottom floor and a fenced in backyard with a trampoline. Parking is available in the driveway for families when dropping off or picking up their child. TRE-ADD Respite Program is offered to children and youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder who have behavioural challenges and complex needs.

Clinical support is provided by the program’s Behavioural Service Consultant. Respite program staff are formally educated and trained in the application of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA). The home uses an ABA approach with all aspects of programming with an emphasis on communication, life skills and recreational activities.

TRE-ADD Respite is available to children and youth aged 6 – 17 who are enrolled in, or on the waitlist for, the Surrey Place TRE-ADD program.

TRE-ADD Respite is also available to youth 11-17 years of age living in Central West, Toronto, and Central East regions that have been referred to us through partnerships with other community agencies. Take a virtual tour of our TRE-ADD Respite Home by watching the video below!