Welcome to the Community Connections Support Services (CCSS) Home Share team. We’re glad that you have made a decision to become a Home Share Provider with our agency and congratulate you on successfully completing the approval process.
We’ve created this page to provide you with all the resources you may need in your role as a CCSS approved Home Share Provider. We are always looking to improve our practices so if you have a question that cannot be answered here, please let us know.
Who’s who at Community Connections Support Services (CCSS)?
Your CCSS Service Coordinator for Home Share:
This person was probably the first person who you had contact with at CCSS and was responsible for working with you during your application process to become an approved Home Share Provider with our agency. The CCSS Service Coordinator for Home Share is Lindsay Peabody.
In addition to helping applicants, like you, work through the approval process, the Service Coordinator for Home Share is the person who oversees the Home Share Program in your region. Your Service Coordinator for Home Share is in charge of establishing contracts for service with Home Share Providers like you, ensures that you receive payment for the services you provide and supervises the regional team that your Home Share Coordinator belongs to.
Your CCSS Home Share Coordinator:
It is likely that you have already met this person during your approval process and had this person visit with you in your home. Your Home Share Coordinator is the person you report to, as it relates to the services you provide to the person you support in your home. The key function of your Home Share Coordinator is to monitor your services and ensure that the support you are providing is in keeping with your contractual obligations and is focused on the needs and preferences of the person you support. Your Home Share Coordinator is also there to provide you with the support, resources and assistance you need to be successful in your role. This person is your first point of contact should you have any concerns, questions or are in need of some expert advise on how to deliver the best services possible to the person you support. Additionally, your Home Share Coordinator is there to let you know what documentation is required of you, any planning documents that you must complete and how to complete these according to established guidelines.
Your Home Share Coordinator is your ‘go-to’ to understand all CCSS processes and requirements. If there is something that is requested of you that you do not know how to complete or do not understand, your Home Share Coordinator is there to help guide you through the process.
Your Home Share Coordinator is also the first point of contact for the person you support as it relates to any concerns they may have regarding the services they receive. Your Home Share Coordinator is there to answer questions and provide support to ensure that you and the person you support are able to work together successfully.
How will you help me pick a person to share my home with and provide support to?
At Community Connections, our goal is to facilitate successful matches between Home Share Providers and people who need their support. We do not ‘place’ people and as a consequence, we determine suitability of a match based on the needs, goals, lifestyle and preferences of a person requiring support and whether or not you, as the Home Share Provider, have a home atmosphere, a schedule, a family dynamic and similar personal preferences to accommodate and enrich the choices and goals of the person you will be supporting.
As you know, we asked a lot of questions during your approval process and collected a lot of information. All of this information helped us to understand your unique home environment, the skills and experience you have to offer and your preferences in providing support.
Our agency has a similar ‘screening’ process for the referrals we receive from CLBC for folks who require Home Share support. Before we consider introducing a person to you and your family, we collect a lot of information to understand the person’s individual support needs, goals, history, medical status, family and community involvement and preferences.
We introduce you to a person requiring services only when we believe that what you are looking for and what you can provide is consistent with what the person supported is looking for and what they need….or that you and the person are a good ‘match’ for one another. Our process also provides for some trial time together for you and the person supported so that you can both make an informed decision about establishing a support relationship together.
If you and the person supported are in agreement that you are both prepared to have the person supported move in with you and establish a support relationship, you will enter into a contractual relationship with CCSS to provide supports.
What does my contract with Community Connections Support Services mean?
In order to be paid for providing services to the person you have chosen to support in your home, you must enter into a contractual relationship with CCSS to deliver services. It is important that you carefully read through your contract with CCSS before signing it and ask any questions beforehand, if you need more information.
When you enter into a contractual relationship with CCSS, you are agreeing to:
- Follow and comply with all Community Connections Support Services policies and procedures relevant to Home Share. The complete CCSS Policy and Procedure Manual is available for you here (please contact your Home Share Coordinator for a password).
- Follow and comply with all CLBC policies relevant to Home Share. CLBC policies can be found on their website here.
- Deliver services in accordance with CLBC Terms and Conditions found here.
- Provide services to the person you support based on their individual needs. If specialized needs require training on your part, you must complete the training required and demonstrate necessary skills.
- Complete and provide all necessary documentation that is requested of you.
- Inform CCSS of any and all changes to support needs for the person you support as well as any changes to your living situation.
How is the amount of my Home Share payment determined?
When you enter into a contract with CCSS to provide services to the person you have been ‘matched’ with, you are also agreeing to accept the funding that is attached to the services that the person you support needs.
Funding for services is determined by CLBC and is dependent on the needs of the person supported. Typically, a person with more extensive needs will have a higher level of funding attached to their supports which translates into a larger payment for the Home Share Provider that provides their support.
CCSS does not have any authority or power to increase or decrease the level of funding or payment to the Home Share Provider. Our agency’s role, as it relates to funding, is simply to disburse funds to the Home Share Provider that has been pre-determined by CLBC.
CCSS can, however; help you assess an increase in needs for the person you support and request a review of the funding that is attached to their services, possible resulting in an increase in payment to the Home Share Provider. You can speak to your Home Share Coordinator if you believe that the support needs of the person you support have increased.
How often should I be in touch with my Home Share Coordinator?
You will hear from your Home Share Coordinator throughout the year via phone, email and in-home visits. Your Home Share Coordinator will schedule, at minimum, quarterly visits with you and the person you support in your home. It is important that you work collaboratively with your Home Share Coordinator to ensure these visits take place. Additionally, your Home Share Coordinator will ensure that you receive information regarding any documentation that you must complete and return to the agency when it is due. Your Home Share Coordinator will also keep you informed of any service-related or policy changes that may affect you.
Your Home Share Coordinator is available to you to address any concerns you may have or help answer any questions in between visits and check-ins. You may contact your Home Share Coordinator anytime a concern arises. Please also be sure to refer to the CCSS Policy and Procedures Manual, as this resource can help answer many questions you may have and walk you through procedures to complete requirements.
You are also responsible for contacting your Home Share Coordinator anytime a reportable incident takes place involving the person you support. Please see our Incident Reporting policy here: hs040 Incident reporting. You must notify your Home Share Coordinator regarding any changes to your home environment, any travel plans you may have involving the person you support, any changes to the person’s health or any interruption or change to services.
How do I complain if I have concerns?
If you have a concern or a complaint that you would like addressed, our expectation is that you follow professional and respectful lines of communication and speak to the person with whom you have an issue. If you are unable to reach resolution, you may contact and enlist your Home Share Coordinator for support. They can help guide you through our complaint process and provide you with appropriate contacts to support you to reach resolution to your concerns.
Additionally, we have complaint management policies and procedures as well as a formal complaint process that is available to you in our Policy and Procedures Manual.
What happens if there is a complaint about me and my services?
We believe that everyone has a right to respond to any complaint made about the support they provide as there may be factors unknown to others that have not been considered. Should a complaint be made against you, we will work to understand the situation from all sides. Please be aware however; that if a complainant wishes to remain anonymous, we must honour their wish and protect their identity at their request. We are committed to working with you to address the complaint and implement corrective action where needed.
We have policies and procedures available for your reference regarding our complaint management process as well as investigation processes. Please refer to these policies in our Policy and Procedures Manual for more information.
What do I do if I decide I no longer want to be a Home Share Provider or provide services to the person living in my home?
We understand that circumstances may change in people’s lives that may result in a decision on your part to give up your contract as a Home Share Provider or discontinue services to the person you are currently supporting. Your Home Share Coordinator will help you make this decision and provide you with support should you choose to give notice on your contract to provide services.
In order for us to be able to provide support in these situations and to provide for the smoothest transition possible for the person you support, it is important that you talk to your Home Share Coordinator immediately. The sooner you let your Home Share Coordinator know that you are considering a change, the sooner we can plan for a smooth transition.
If your decision is final, it will be necessary for you to provide official, written notice to your Service Coordinator for Home Share to begin the process of ending your contract with CCSS.
What happens if the person I support no longer wants to live with me?
Sometimes, despite your best efforts, the person you support may make a decision to move out of your home. If the person you support has mentioned this to you or threatened to leave, it is important that you notify your Home Share Coordinator immediately. Your Home Share Coordinator will meet with you and the person you support separately to determine the best course of action.
If we determine that the decision made by the person you support is not a result of a performance issue on your part, we can work with you to find another person who requires support that will be a good match for you and your home.
