Ontario’s health care system is at a breaking point. Essential services like meal deliveries, medical transportation, and adult day programs help keep seniors safe at home, yet chronic underfunding is pushing our community safety net to the brink.
Without immediate investment in Community Support Services, more seniors will be forced into overcrowded hospitals and our overstretched long-term care waitlists will only grow.
We can’t afford to wait. Our government needs to invest in the services that keep Ontarians safe, healthy, at home, and out of hospitals.
The Cost of Inaction
Investing in our communities is not just more compassionate—it’s common sense. Community Support Services are a less expensive level of care than hospitals and long-term care.
$103/day
Average cost of Home & Community Care.
$200/day
Average cost of Long-Term Care.
$730–$1,000/day
Average cost of an Alternate Level of Care (ALC) hospital bed.
Services at a Breaking Point
In the event of no increases to the Home and Community Support Services budget, even a conservative 10% reduction in funding could mean:
300,000
Meals lost for seniors in need
500,000
lost hours of help that enable low-income seniors to stay in supportive housing.
50,000
Hours lost of dementia day programs.
System Under Pressure
Our safety net is failing while Community Support Services are on life support, creating a dangerous domino effect across Ontario’s entire health system:
1 in 5 Caregivers
have been forced to go to the ER just to get a break.
50,000 Seniors
are currently stuck on waitlists for Long-Term Care.
97% of Ontarians agree:
the government must prioritize home and community care investment now.
We can't afford to wait.
In its Budget 2026 submission, OCSA urged the government to:
- Sustain home care through a renewed multi-year investment 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 23-46% less than their hospital counterparts.
We need your help by writing your MPP and asking them to prioritize these asks ahead of the upcoming 2026 Budget.
