Autistic Adults

Jean-Philippe Thibault, LJI Jounalist

GASPÉ – Autistic adults in Gaspé who were scheduled to move into their brand-new living space with Demeure Toi in mid-July will have to wait at least until the fall due to lack of funding.

“Yesterday (June 23), we informed our candidates, who have been in preparatory activities since March, that their entry will be delayed. We’ve just caused them stress and anxiety,” deplores Claudine Dupuis, president of Demeure Toi, a play-on-words name that means house, you and roof, in French.

The non-profit organization is behind the vast project for an adapted and inclusive living environment for 11 autistic adults in downtown Gaspé. The former Colombian Centre—which for many years housed the Ardoise bar, near the Cathedral—was demolished in 2023, and construction began last year. The project is estimated to cost nearly $9 million.

Lack of Funding

Except the funds needed for its operations have not been forthcoming. In a June 23 public statement that caused quite a stir, Demeure Toi explained that it received a promise in August 2024 from Minister Lionel Carmant, responsible for Social Services, for a recurring budget of $318,242 per year to support the residents’ needs. This was reportedly confirmed by Gaspé Member of the National Assembly (MNA) Stéphane Sainte-Croix.

The money is used, in particular, to hire service coordinators and clinical staff, as well as for continuing education. “It’s not an apartment building. Autistic adults can’t get home alone with their luggage. They need to be prepared with an intervention plan,” explains Claudine Dupuis, who has been actively involved in this project as a volunteer since 2015.

The service agreement proposed by the CISSS de la Gaspésie, however, would only be for $50,000 per year, which is considered largely insufficient and, more importantly, does not fulfill the promise, the non-profit organization laments.

In 2022, a grant of up to $3.65 million was awarded to Demeure Toi to enable the housing project to be carried out. This was part of a Canada-Quebec agreement concerning the Rapid Housing Initiative concluded between the Société d’habitation du Québec and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

A year later, an additional $5.3 million was added, since the building was beyond repair and would have to be demolished and rebuilt rather than renovated. “It’s paradoxical to have a grant of nearly $9 million, but on the other hand, we’re not able to raise the money to offer the services,” notes president Dupuis.

Miscalculation?

According to Demeure Toi, the low amount received compared to the expected amount is explained by the tenant service needs assessment tool, which is actually a tool for people with reduced autonomy that produces results that underestimate the specificities of autism.

“The CISSS assesses our future residents for functional autonomy needs. We feel that it doesn’t measure the autistic dimension; the challenges they face, such as disorganization and anxiety. It’s the financial vehicle that’s not good. They take it in an envelope based on certain criteria, and we don’t fit into that,” explains Claudine Dupuis.

The news broke out four weeks before the official opening, expected on July 20.

Unique project

The Demeure Toi project is tailor-made to meet the specific needs of autism, promoting autonomy and socio-professional inclusion. The concept is unique in Eastern Quebec. “They don’t arrive here with their suitcase playing video games. They engage in a process to create a life project and develop their autonomy. For that, we need preparatory activities; getting them moving before entering, then we update these activities and support them in their process,” explains Claude Dupuis.
The nearly completed building includes 12 supervised housing units, a unit for a resource tenant, a studio for an educator present on weekends, as well as community spaces: a communal kitchen, lounge, sensory stimulation room, multipurpose room, calming room, satellite office, and administrative office.

The facilities will be open in 2026 to non-residents with autism and their families, to strengthen community inclusion. “We want to demonstrate that with rigorous and consistent support, we can bring them elsewhere. Some already work part-time. It’s a forgotten clientele. We wanted to make a difference and show that we were going to succeed…” concludes Claudine Dupuis.

She doesn’t rule out the possibility that the building may never open if funding isn’t forthcoming, and that the announced reduction in funding is a direct consequence of healthcare budget cuts.
Demeure Toi also points out that the promised funding was supposed to be allocated three months before the opening, but that nothing has been forthcoming yet.