Who We Are

The Community Living Society was incorporated on January 16, 1978 as a voluntary non-profit organization. Initially the Society was established as an independent planning agency to facilitate the movement of individuals from institutional to community living.
The community living services pioneered and developed by the CLS over the years are oriented toward nurturing each individual's growth potential to lead a free and dignified life in an integrated community environment. This is achieved by CLS employees being accountable to the individuals they serve. In this way the individuals are given the support and opportunity to choose their activities.

Today, the CLS provides both residential and vocational (day program) services to a wide variety of people with disabilities in the Vancouver Lower Mainland of British Columbia. We are an experienced organization with an infrastructure and philosophy that allows us the opportunity to balance the advantages of a large society with those of a smaller one. This includes experience, contacts, pool of staff, multiple resources with services designed specifically for each individual, hands-on management style and effective monitoring.

This service philosophy gives the Community Living Society the opportunity to be a leader in providing innovative, quality residential and vocational services, which allow people to reach their greatest potential.

Our Mission

Our Mission is to support each individual
to live with dignity and
to thrive as a fully participating citizen
within their community.  

Beliefs & Values

As developed by families, we believe that each person

is a unique individual, having intrinsic worth,

has the right to live a life of dignity,

must have his or her personal autonomy honoured at all times and any support given must empower the individual to make his or her own decisions, and

must have the opportunity to live as a full and participating citizen in his or her own community. 

Strategic Plan for the CLS

The Strategic Plan is a document developed for purposes of outlining the goals and objectives of the organization over the next four years. This Plan was developed as a result of a collective effort involving Board members, family representatives and the Management Team. The implementation of the Strategic Plan will be undertaken by the person(s) named as “Responsible” in the Plan, and progress will be monitored by the Management Team and Board of Directors. The Strategic Plan will continue to evolve.

You can view the Strategic Plan as a Word Doc or as an Acrobat PDF file.

What We Do

The Community Living Society serves men and women by offering supports which supplement/complement those already in the community. This begins with the process of identifying their aspirations and preferences.

  • We build from their strengths. We identify environments for living, working, education and recreation which will best achieve their goals. We tailor our supports to best ensure success for the individual. Our service provision is continually modified in light of the individual's changing needs and aspirations. There are key themes that guide us as a service provider.
  • We believe relationships are the centre of all human development. We therefore foster relationships which affectively unite people and in which they discover value and enjoyment.
  • We believe that every person needs a place for living and working guided by freedom and choice to the greatest degree possible. To ensure the most success for the individual, we support creative living and working environments.
  • We move from a view of community living as housing, management, and programmed work to a broader definition of a community which is inclusive and embraces diversity. The goal of the CLS and its employees is to support individuals in a way of life that is responsibly independent and effectively interdependent; thereby, fostering the self-empowerment of all people into a meaningful life in community with others.