PRESS RELEASE – Ontario
November 26, 2025
Family Service Ontario Calls for Early Intervention and Community-Based Supports Following Ombudsman Report
Family Service Ontario (FSO) is urging the provincial government to take immediate, practical steps to strengthen early intervention and community-based supports for adults with developmental disability, following the recent release of the Ombudsman’s report, Lost in Transition.
The report highlights cases in which adults with developmental disability have remained in the hospital for extended periods because appropriate community supports were unavailable. These individuals may experience deterioration, the use of restraints, and prolonged separation from familiar environments, all of which echo concerns FSO agencies have heard from families they serve.
“This practice is both financially unsustainable and inhumane,” said Susan Somogyi, CEO of Family Service Ontario. “Families seek help long before a hospital becomes the only option. When supports are not available early, crises can escalate, straining our systems and profoundly impacting individuals with developmental disability and their families.”
The Ombudsman’s findings reinforce a key financial reality: an ALC hospital bed costs approximately $770 per day, while community-based services can provide appropriate care at significantly lower cost. Strengthening early supports can reduce crisis escalation, alleviate hospital pressures, and improve outcomes for individuals and their families.
FSO agencies already deliver the types of interventions that prevent and respond to unnecessary hospitalization, including:
- Holistic, family-centred support
- Mental health, trauma and family therapy for individuals and caregivers
- Service coordination and behavioural support for people with developmental disability and their families.
“These upstream interventions help families stay resilient and prevent burnout,” Somogyi noted. “This is a cost-effective way to enhance support for people to live in the community and live their best lives.”
FSO is calling for the province to take action in three key areas:
- Strengthen early-intervention counselling and family support to prevent crises before hospitalization becomes necessary.
- Invest in cost-effective community-based services that ensure better outcomes for individuals and families.
- Ensure families have timely access to services so they can be supported at home or in the community.
“These steps align with the government’s commitment to responsible spending and system efficiency,” Somogyi said. “We are ready to work with the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, the Ministry of Health, and partners across sectors to support meaningful solutions.”
FSO has offered to meet with the government to discuss how community-based services can support the government’s response to the Ombudsman’s recommendations, helping ensure adults with developmental disability live safely, with dignity, in their communities, not in hospital wards.
About Family Service Ontario – Family Service Ontario represents a network of multi-service agencies that provide mental health and trauma counselling, developmental services, and family-centred programs across Ontario. Our agencies deliver cost-effective, evidence-based services that strengthen individuals, families, and communities.
Media Contact: Susan Somogyi, Chief Executive Officer Family Service Ontario ssomogyi@familyserviceontario.org