If you have a child with multiple disabilities in Ontario, navigating the available support programs can feel overwhelming. One program that many families are unfamiliar with even when it could directly help them is Ontario's Homeshare program. This guide explains what Homeshare is, who it is designed for, and how professional PSW support from Essential Staff connects with the Homeshare model to give children and families the care they actually need.
What Is the Homeshare Program in Ontario?
Ontario's Homeshare program is a specialized family placement program for children and youth who have multiple disabilities and are unable to live at home. Children and youth live with specially screened and trained families who are supported by Homeshare staff throughout the entire placement. Children are able to attend school in the community where they live. Placements are most often full-time and long-term. The child's natural parents remain an important part of their child's life and keep legal guardianship throughout the placement. Homeshare is not connected with children's aid societies. Children up to age 17 can enter Homeshare, and people are able to remain in the program when older than 17 to allow for a seamless transition into adulthood. Care.com
The program is coordinated by the Child, Parent Research Institute (CPRI) in London, Ontario. A Homeshare coordinator visits the child and family at home to understand their needs and matches them to a Homeshare family that is a good fit. Referrals and placements generally happen in the West Region of Ontario — which includes London, St. Thomas, and surrounding communities.
Who Is the Homeshare Program For?
Homeshare is designed for children and youth whose natural families love them deeply but cannot safely provide the level of care their complex disabilities require at home. Children in the program have significant and complex multiple disabilities including a significant cognitive delay. There are many reasons why a natural family is unable to care for their child at home Homeshare offers an option for families who want their child to be part of a family but are unable to provide the care their child needs in their own home. Care.com
This is an important distinction. Homeshare is not about families giving up on their child it is about families finding a solution that keeps their child in a loving family environment when their own home cannot safely accommodate their child's complex needs.
What Does a Homeshare Family Actually Do?
- A Homeshare family is a regular Ontario family that has been specially screened, trained, and matched by CPRI to care for a child or youth with multiple disabilities. The Homeshare family provides a home, daily care, community inclusion, and genuine family belonging.
- What Homeshare families are not and were never intended to be is a full-time professional care team. Many Homeshare children have complex physical, cognitive, and behavioral needs that require more support than any single family can sustainably provide alone. This is where professional PSW support becomes essential.
How PSW Support Connects With the Homeshare Model
Essential Staff places certified, police-checked PSWs with Homeshare families across the West Region and across Ontario. Our PSWs work alongside Homeshare families not in place of them to ensure children with multiple disabilities receive the complete level of care they need.
─────────────────────────────────────────
─────────────────────────────────────────
PSW Support for Natural Families Too
Homeshare placement is not the right choice for every family. Many Ontario families raising a child with multiple disabilities at home are doing so without adequate professional support managing everything themselves, burning out quietly, and unaware that private PSW support is available.
If you are a natural family caring for your child at home and you need professional support whether for a few hours per day, overnight coverage, or respite relief Essential Staff can help. You do not need to be involved in the Homeshare program to access our PSW services.
Government Funding That Can Help
Many families do not realize that Ontario provides financial support specifically to help with the costs of caring for a child with severe disabilities.
The Assistance for Children with Severe Disabilities (ACSD) program provides monthly financial support that can be used toward private PSW care costs. The Special Services at Home (SSH) program provides funding specifically for in-home support for children and adults with disabilities. Both are administered through Ontario's Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services.
During a free consultation, Essential Staff can help you understand which programs may apply to your situation and how to access them.
Essential Staff PSW Support for Homeshare and Disability Families Across Ontario
Essential Staff is based in St. Thomas, Ontario in the heart of the West Region where the Homeshare program operates. We provide certified PSWs for children with multiple disabilities throughout Elgin County, London, and communities across Ontario.
Our PSWs are matched based on experience with pediatric disability care, behavioral support awareness, and compatibility with each child's individual needs and personality. Every PSW is police-checked and credential-verified before placement.
If you are a Homeshare family, a natural family, or a disability organization looking for professional PSW support we would like to help.
─────────────────────────────────────────
For care inquiries call +1 647 749 8189 or visit www.essentialstaff.ca