Advocates and providers of Community Living B.C.’s home share program say what is needed is not more recommendations and reviews but action to fix a sector in which many of those offering the service are being paid an average of $4 an hour, paying out of pocket for time off and not being provided the proper training. Article content Article content Article content Lisa Garner, formerly of Surrey before relocating to Vancouver Island, said she has been caring for her client Paul for over 20 years and received her first raise in 16 years in 2023. Despite this, she said she still only receives an average of $11 a day to feed her client, and only gets $100 for each respite day. Source: https://vancouversun.com/news/bc-home-share-providers-say-they-make-as-little-as-4-an-hour-as-new-report-calls-out-underfunding

The BC Home Share Review: When “Default” Housing Becomes a System Under Strain In November 2025, the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction in British Columbia released an external review of the Community Living BC (CLBC) Home Share program. Conducted by Tamar Consultancy with Professor Tim Stainton and colleagues, the review was triggered by the coroner’s inquest into the death of Florence Girard and asked a blunt question: are current safeguards and standards enough to keep people safe and support a good life in Home Share? A unique and overloaded model Home Share in BC is unusual by international standards. Institutions have been closed for some time, and Home Share has become the province’s largest community living option — a situation the review notes “doesn’t exist in any other jurisdiction.” About 4,300 people are funded to live in Home Share, with hundreds more on waitlists and more than 19,000 adults outside any funded residential support, signalling deep, ...

CLBC’s response to the recommendations is now available as well as a plain language version. Highlights of steps taken to date include: Implementing a new information management system Increasing the compensation rate for home sharing coordinators by over 10%. Source: https://www.communitylivingbc.ca/2025-inquest/clbcs-response-to-coroners-inquest-and-next-steps

Government has hired independent contractor Tamar Consultancy to assess safety in home-sharing arrangements, standards that promote quality of life, and accountability and oversight measures. The review is expected to be completed by fall 2025. Source: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2025SDPR0007-000523

Reimagining Home Share Caregiving: A Path to Career and Fulfillment 💜 It’s time to rethink what home share caregiving really means — not just as a placement or a lifestyle choice, but as a vital career that deserves recognition, fair compensation, and respect. Families and caregivers provide essential support that allows people with disabilities to live meaningful lives in their communities. Yet too often, they’re undervalued, underpaid, and left out of the conversation. This document explores: How we can strengthen recruitment and retention by valuing caregivers as professionals The financial realities families face and why equal support matters The impact of housing costs, lack of respect, and weak accountability Practical solutions — from fair pay and benefits to housing supports and independent oversight We can build a system that values caregivers, strengthens relationships, and ensures stability for the people we support. Let’s start that conversation together.

Starting Dec. 1, 2025, couples where both members receive disability assistance will receive the same support allowance as they would if they were two single people. In addition, beginning Jan. 1, 2026, couples where one partner has the Persons with Disabilities designation will also benefit from an increased annual earnings exemptions, allowing them to keep more of the money they earn. Source: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2025SDPR0017-001110

IMPORTANT It has been flagged that Florence Girard weighed 50.6 pounds at the time of her death, not 55.

As a result of the pandemic, home-share caregiver Lisa Garner says her role has become a 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week job. She says that's because day programming outside the home for clients like Paul was cancelled for a period of time and while some regions have reinstated it, it isn't for everyone due to COVID-19 safety requirements and physical distancing.

A coroner's inquest has begun into the 2018 starvation death of a B.C. woman at the hands of her care provider. Florence Girard, who was born with Down syndrome, was 54 years old when she died while living in the home of Astrid Dahl. Dahl was convicted of failing to provide Girard the necessaries of life. The CBC's Karin Larsen covered the start of the inquest.

In 2018, Florence Girard - a B.C. woman with Down Syndrome - starved to death under the care of a government-funded home share provider. After a B.C. Coroner's Inquest ruled Florence's death a homicide, This is VANCOLOUR host Mo Amir asks inquest witness Tamara Taggart (Down Syndrome BC) about what we learned. What changes need to be made to protect people with disabilities under government care? Recorded: January 27, 2025.

A caregiver has taken the stand for a second day at a coroner’s inquest into the death of a woman who had Down Syndrome and starved while in home care. As Belle Puri reports, the worker says the organization that employed her provided little support.

This audit examined whether Community Living BC (CLBC) had implemented a monitoring framework to ensure home sharing providers met the following contract requirements in 2018–19: • aligning service delivery to further quality-of-life outcomes for people in care • complying with contracted standards and service requirements

We are hearing from another B.C. family that has had a difficult experience with Community Living BC. A Williams Lake woman says it was a struggle each time she sought help for family members with complex needs who she was caring for. Angela Jung has her story.

For the first time, the CEO of Community Living BC is responding to criticisms from families and caregivers. Ross Chilton says he knows they must do better, but as Angela Jung reports, the public has yet to see any meaningful change. – Feb 24, 2025 The Crown corporation, which provides supports to adults with disabilities and complex needs, has been under the microscope in the wake of a coroner’s inquest into the death of Florence Girard. Girard, who had Down syndrome, died of starvation in 2018 while living in a home-share under contract from CLBC.

A coroner's jury has delivered 13 recommendations after hearing from 18 witnesses in the inquest into the death of Florence Girard, a woman with Down syndrome who starved to death while in care. Sarah MacDonald reports.

Families and care-givers are joining the push for Community Living BC to be dismantled -- and brought under direct control of the provincial government. As Alissa Thibault reports, it follows shocking revelations that came out of an inquest into the death of a woman in care.

Another family is speaking out against Community Living BC, saying the agency has consistently failed to find a safe living situation for their loved-one. Angela Jung reports.

Tom and Barb Windle say the death of their daughter Allison was preventable, after the 39-year-old died suddenly in the basement suite of her home-share provider. The parents say they spent their lives trying to protect their daughter, who had Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, but they were let down by Community Living BC,

In an interview with Global News, Community Living BC CEO Ross Chilton responded to criticism against his organization including the recent death of a client. Chilton says the organization takes every death seriously and must work to regain the public's trust.

An online discussion questions potential conflicts involving CLBC leadership and affiliated nonprofits. While unofficial, it reflects the growing frustration among providers and advocates. Such threads show how trust in institutions erodes when transparency is lacking. Romantic partner of CLBC VP runs society receiving $500K annual funding from Crown corp. Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/comments/1i888t8/romantic_partner_of_clbc_vp_runs_society/