ICC MEMBER UPDATE

SUMMER 2026

CONNECTING MEMBERS ACROSS CANADA

A NATIONAL VOICE FOR INCLUSIVE HOUSING

Growing our impact, together

More than 80 member organizations are advancing housing opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities across Canada.

Dear ICC members,

I hope the summer offered you time to recharge. ICC now represents more than 80 organizations across Canada, united in expanding safe, affordable and inclusive housing for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Over the past several months, we have continued to engage all levels of government on the National Housing Strategy 2.0, supportive housing and dedicated housing solutions for people with developmental disabilities. ICC Day on the Hill, November 2-3 in Ottawa, will bring our collective voice directly to Parliamentarians and senior officials.

I am also pleased to welcome Zehavi Zynoberg as ICC’s new Coordinator. Zehavi will support our Board and members, coordinate events and communications, and help advance initiatives across our growing national network.

Please stay connected, participate in meetings and events, and share what your organization is seeing. Our national voice is strongest when it reflects the experience and expertise of members in every region. Please feel free to share this update with others who may be interested in the work we are all doing together.

Warm regards, 

Gary Gladstone, CFRE, Chair ICC

What are we working on?

Turning a national network into action

National advocacy - Advocating with all levels of government for dedicated, inclusive housing solutions.

Member collaboration - Sharing expertise, project experience and regional perspectives across the country.

Practical member support - Programming on financing, federal programs, government navigation and developer partnerships.

Accessible participation - Improving hybrid access and purposeful networking for members in every region.

SAVE THE DATE

ICC Day on the Hill - November 2-3, 2026 | Ottawa, Ontario

Registration opens after Labour Day.

Members from every region are encouraged to bring our collective voice directly to Parliamentarians and senior officials.

MAY 2026 ICC CONFERENCE SURVEY RESULTS

• Conference Rating - 4.22/5

• Met or Exceeded Expectations - 83%

• Would Recommend  - 8.91/10

We asked you to let us know your thoughts about our conference and you spoke.

90 of you joined us in person and 45 joined online. Members prioritized practical content tied to financing supportive housing, CMHC and other federal programs, and developer partnerships. Funding and navigation support, member collaboration, stronger hybrid technology and intentional networking will inform future planning. We apologize for the technical issues we faced with our online attendees, and are learning to course correct going forward.

ICC AT CONFERENCES

Impact Conference - ACDS, May 2026 | Edmonton, Alberta

Norma Wisbling (New Age Services) and Patricia Franks (CAFFI Housing) connected with disability-service providers and sector partners. The themes - sustainable housing and supports, rights and dignity, and balancing safety with autonomy - resonate nationally. ICC information was shared through Pheedloop, postcards, flyers and conversations.

AMO

August 2026 | Ottawa, Ontario

ICC Chair, Gary Gladstone (Reena), ICC Director, Jonathan Bradshaw (Community Living Toronto), and representatives from Fred Victor and Empower Simcoe attended the three-day Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Conference in Ottawa. Throughout the conference, the delegation advocated for the inclusion of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in municipal priorities and decision-making. They distributed informational postcards, participated in discussions and asked questions during relevant sessions, ensuring that ICC’s presence and key messages were recognized.

Advocating for Accessible Housing Across Canada

ICC is advocating nationally for all housing funded through Build Canada Homes to be accessible, adaptable and designed to safely accommodate people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including meeting applicable B3 or equivalent care occupancy requirements.

As part of this broader work, ICC recently submitted recommendations to the Government of Ontario calling for clearer, more consistent and risk-based Building and Fire Code requirements. The goal is to maintain strong safety protections while reducing regulatory barriers to inclusive supportive housing across Canada.

National Housing Strategy 2.0

Based on our success of National Housing Strategy 1.0, and as the federal government prepares to release National Housing Strategy 2.0, the ICC is recommending that NHS 2.0:

• Explicitly designate people with intellectual and developmental disabilities as a priority population
• Create a permanent, dedicated funding stream
• Support the creation, preservation or acquisition of at least 3,000 homes by 2031
• Invest at least $1 billion over five years in a permanent developmental disabilities housing stream
• Include capital grants, low-cost financing, acquisition and redevelopment funding
• Support deeply affordable, accessible and supportive housing

Reena and Community Living Toronto recently participated in the federal government’s pre-budget consultations in Toronto, where they highlighted key ICC priorities. If your organization is invited to a consultation in your community, we encourage you to raise these priorities as well. Please reach out to us for key messages and supporting information.

ICC and CHRA Survey Results

Our members are building and getting ready to build.

In collaboration with the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association (CHRA), we asked ICC members what they're building as we advocate for more deeply affordable, accessible supportive housing for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and other diverse abilities. This will help us build momentum in ensuring government prioritizes our sector when developing National Housing Strategy 2.0 and other housing policy. 

Welcome our newest ICC Members!

Since our inception in 2017, the ICC has grown to more than 80 members across Canada and our growth has only been because of the important contributions of our member organizations and the perspectives and expertise they bring.

Please welcome our newest member organizations that have joined the ICC this year:

YOUR VOICE STRENGTHENS THE ICC

Join meetings and events 

Take part in Day on the Hill 

Share successes and challenges 

Send conference takeaways 

 Connect ICC with partners in your region 

Share with your contacts in the DS sector

Follow us on social media