'Ausome' charity for autistic children closes due to dwindling funding

An Ottawa charity offering sports and other activities to autistic children is closing its doors after nine years, citing a recent drop in its funding.

In a statement posted on its website, Ausome Ottawa said it has received half of the year-to-date funding from the federal and provincial governments that it received over the same period last year.

"That's simply not enough — not even close. With inflation making the cost to operate more expensive and charitable giving to small charities on the decline, we can't see a path forward," the charity's executive director and co-founder Liisa Vexler wrote in a statement posted online.

Financial records filed with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) confirm the charity's government funding has plummeted in recent years.

According to the latest publicly available data, Ausome Ottawa received $185,360 from the federal government in 2021, but just $85,342 in 2022. Records also show a drop in provincial funding, from $256,037 in 2021 to $165,184 in 2022.

The charity began running a deficit last year, the records show.

Program was 'incredibly supportive'

Jonathan Crone's son Kieran attended Ausome Ottawa for eight years until he aged out of the program at 19.

"One of the challenges with being a parent of an autistic child is you do run into the problem of figuring out programs that can give your child the ability to enjoy the things that other kids may automatically take advantage of," Crone said.

"[Ausome Ottawa] provided a huge range of programs that were incredibly supportive for parents of autistic kids."

Ausome Ottawa posted this statement on its website on April 30, 2024. (ausomeottawa.com)

Crone praised the program's model of recruiting young volunteers and pairing them with kids for one-on-one support, and he credited the charity with helping his son try — and succeed at — a range of new activities.

"One of the marvellous things about Kieran participating in Ausome is the fact that it really helped him to develop a lot of his social skills, as well as his abilities to self control," Crone said.

Activities offered by the charity included fitness, basketball, volleyball, badminton, soccer, gymnastics, hiking and more. According to its annual report, Ausome Ottawa welcomed 96 new families in 2023.

A place for parents to connect

Many parents say the program's closure is a significant loss to the community because it was the only one of its kind in Ottawa. Its closure leaves many families with limited options for inclusive recreational activities.

"It also created the opportunity for the parents to be able to get in touch and support one another a little bit through some of the challenges," said Crone, who believes thousands of families will be affected.

Ausome Ottawa is the second Ottawa-area organization providing similar services to close in as many weeks.

Crone said that's causing him concern over the state of autism care in Ontario and Canada, because many programs are volunteer-driven and funded largely by donations.

"I hate to get political, but we're a G7 country, we are effectively a rich country, we should be able to support all of our kids," he said.

Jonathan Crone says his son Kieran, pictured here, gained the necessary skills through Ausome Ottawa to help him with woodworking. (Jonathan Crone)

Funded through Trillium Foundation

Ontario's 2024 budget increased funding for autism services by $60 million over the previous year, but critics say the $720 million earmarked for the Ontario Autism Program (OAP) is still not enough, and wait-lists for services continue to grow.

Ausome Ottawa isn't listed as a service provider under the OAP, but it has received money through the provincially funded Trillium Foundation.

Trillium Foundation records show Ausome Ottawa received $397,700 in 2018-19, nothing in 2019-2020, $74,900 in 2020-21 and a $195,000 grant in 2022-23. There is no record of the charity receiving a Trillium grant in 2023-2024.

Because Ausome Ottawa received provincial funding through the Trillium Foundation and not the OAP, the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services (MCCSS) denies having a "funding relationship" with the charity.

"The ministry does not have a funding relationship with the organization you have cited. Organizations such as Ausome are self-governing and are responsible for their own staffing and operational decisions," said the MCCSS in a statement.

Neither the province nor Ausome Ottawa provided further clarity on the funding arrangement.

According to the province, families registered with the OAP can access a range of services and supports, and may receive funding for services including behaviour analysis, speech pathology and therapy.

"The purpose of the OAP provider list is to make it easier for families to find professionals who meet the OAP qualification requirements and have the training and experience to provide safe, high-quality services to children and youth on the autism spectrum," the MCCSS statement said.

"Through these multiple streams, tens of thousands of children and youth with autism have received support."