Since 1976, Riverdale Place Homes Inc. has supported adults with an intellectual disability, living in our community. Our first group home was located at the edge of Arborg, on Hwy. #68 west, across the road from the Riverdale Place Workshop. The two organizations function independently of each other, although we are closely affiliated, as many of the individuals who have lived in our homes have also attended the day program at the Workshop. Both organizations were spearheaded by the same group of local families, who saw the need for their adult children to have meaningful lives and a home of their own. At this time, there was a strong grassroots movement among families throughout the province who were determined to provide a quality life for their family members.

What began as one group home, soon expanded to two with the “Welcome Home Initiative”, which emerged in Manitoba in 1982. This initiative sought to bring individuals out of an institutional setting and back into the community. At that time, many agencies like ours were formed or expanded to accommodate people being relocated from the Manitoba Developmental Centre in Portage Prairie, out into community group homes.

When the institution in Portage la Prairie first opened in 1890, it was named the “Manitoba Home for Incurables”. With the limited understanding at that time, the belief was that people with disabilities could not function in society and therefore should be removed and locked up. Once this institution was full, two others were created, the St. Boniface Sanitorium in 1931, later renamed the St. Amant Centre and the Pelican Lake Training Centre in 1973, at the former site of the Ninette Tuberculosis Sanitorium.

Thankfully, over the years, we have learned a great deal about the “abilities” of people with intellectual disabilities. Today, the momentum of the “inclusion” movement continues to grow, as does the recognition that people with disabilities are valuable members of our communities and have a right to make their own choices. By the end of 2024, two of these institutions will have closed, leaving only St. Amant Centre in operation. St. Amant today functions not as an institution, but as a service hub and a provincial and national centre of expertise in intellectual disabilities. What a long way we have come!

Over the years, Riverdale Place Homes Inc. has expanded further and today we operate 4 group homes and oversee 2 independent living apartments in Arborg, as well as providing respite services in a family home. In total, we support 15 adults with intellectual disabilities. We currently employ 43 Direct Support Workers and 3 administrative staff. And we are growing, having purchased a 6-unit apartment block in 2023, an inclusive living site where 3 of our 6 apartments are currently occupied by other community members. Our operations are overseen by a dedicated board of directors, who function on a volunteer basis. We are proud of the vital contribution we make to our community, both socially and economically, as a care provider, employer and consumer.