With Community Living British Columbia (CLBC) under fire, Campbell River and District Association for Community Living (CRADACL) wants the public to know that it is not the same organization.
“I just wanted to clear up any misconceptions because I’m sure there are some,” said executive director for CRADACL Greg Hill. “It’s hard to differentiate.”
CRADACL is a non-profit organization in Campbell River that helps Campbell Riverites with special needs through a variety of local programs, including residential services and supported employment, to help them have the most independence possible.
CLBC is a provincial Crown agency which provides funding to CRADACL and a number of other community living organizations throughout the province.
CLBC has been under public scrutiny lately for funding cuts and its decision to move special needs people into private residences rather than keeping them in group homes, so Hill wants to ensure locals know they are not the same group.
“CLBC is only a funder and we are a service provider,” said Hill.
Hill mentioned that CLBC only provides some of CRADACL’s funding; it also receives funding from the Ministry for Children and Family Development and the Vancouver Island Health Authority.
British Columbia Association for Community Living (BCACL) is another group that is separate from CRADACL.
According to Hill, it is a provincial advocacy group that CRADACL belongs to and it advocates for the services CRADACL and other community living groups provide, but it doesn’t actually provide them.
“That’s more or less the mother ship of every community living organization, which there probably is one in every community in B.C., and most of those towns and cities with an association for community living belong to BCACL,” said Hill.
“They’re not a service provider, again that’s the distinction, they’re just a provincial group that lobbies.”
CRADACL celebrates its 50th anniversary in this year, and is one of the first of the community living organizations in B.C.