December 10, 2025
59 long-term care homes across Ontario will now be able to participate in the Cultural Homes placement model, expanding access to culturally appropriate long-term care.
December 10, 2025
59 long-term care homes across Ontario will now be able to participate in the Cultural Homes placement model, expanding access to culturally appropriate long-term care.
This placement model helps address the religious, ethnic, and linguistic needs of crisis applicants on long-term care waitlists.
Participating homes may offer culturally tailored programming, culturally tailored activities and programming, culturally appropriate food and meals, and staff and volunteers who speak a specific language.
Since April 2025, the model has been tested in 29 long-term care homes across Ontario serving specific religious, ethnic, or linguistic communities.
Results from the testing period showed residents had better access to care that meets their needs and preferences, without negatively impacting the placement of other crisis applicants.
As of November 2025, 59 long-term care homes in Ontario are recognized as serving a specific religious, ethnic, or linguistic community.
This expansion will implement the placement model across all 59 homes, including the 30 homes not part of the initial testing phase.
Long-term care applicants and their families work with Ontario Health atHome placement coordinators to manage admission into long-term care.
Ontario Health determines whether a long-term care home is recognized as primarily serving the interests of a particular religious, ethnic, or linguistic community.
Ensuring resident-directed, safe, and quality care that responds to a resident’s physical, psychological, emotional, social, spiritual, and cultural needs is an obligation under the Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021.
“We thank Minister of Long-Term Care Natalia Kusendova-Bashta for her leadership and her commitment to residents and families.
Today’s announcement reflects a significant focus on what matters most. Doubling reunification spaces and making the cultural home program permanent and available to all cultural homes are meaningful changes for homes and for the communities they serve. For many families, these changes make all the difference.
They help keep loved ones together and ensure seniors receive care in settings that honour their language, culture, and community. These actions reinforce person-centred care and help protect seniors by providing the right supports in the right place at the right time.
We look forward to continuing to work with the government and our members to achieve the successful implementation of these measures in support of our seniors, their families and their cultural communities.”
This announcement reflects our members’ priorities to protect innovation. Advancing a culture of quality improvement that supports new models of care.
Learn about our priorities along with practical, evidence-informed recommendations to protect Ontario by strengthening long-term care now and into the future.