Celebrating Ten Years of Filling Service Gaps, Supporting People In Living Their Best Lives
Christine Whelan
March 19, 2026, Volume 7, Issue 14
Congratulations to PCC for ten years of leaving no person behind!
Alyshia Kilner, founder and executive director, is the heart and soul of the operations at Person Centered Care of Niagara Inc. “From 10 years ago to what it is today, it’s definitely been a journey.”
The Beginning
Alyshia says she lives and breathes PCC. Recalling the beginning of the journey, “I worked as a clinician for the same agency for ten years. One of the things that I kept coming across was individuals in the developmental sector who had access to funding called Passport funding. However, they could not obtain support because of their complexities, whether that was at-risk behaviour, involvement in the justice system, or simply being too much of a liability for other agencies to take on. And they were just falling through the gaps.”
She had wondered, “Why isn’t anyone doing anything about this?”
While working in the justice system as an advocate for people with dual diagnoses and as a behavioural therapist’s assistant at the same agency, she noticed a recurring theme.
“I got to a point where I just wanted to do more.”
And so, she did. “I quit the nine-to-five, Monday to Friday job and decided to go out on my own as a sole proprietor.”
Person Centered Care of Niagara Inc. (PCC)
The PCC office is based in Fort Erie, at 74 Jarvis Street, but the organization services the Niagara Region. “Anyone from Fort Erie to Grimsby and Lincoln. In special cases, we’ll reach beyond this area.”
Within the first few months, she was already at full-time capacity.
“It was remarkable how other agencies embraced what I was trying to do,” Alyshia shared, “They saw the need, as well.”
Families she knew were reaching out to her, asking, “What can you do for us?”
PCC grew so quickly. “For the first three years, we tripled in terms of business.”
No Person Left Behind
This is the PCC approach. “We will say,’ yes’, and do whatever we can do to support, not just the individual, but their family.”
Alyshia continued, “We support anyone from infancy all the way to end of life care. Anyone in the vulnerable sector. Seniors, mental health diagnoses, children who are connected with Family and Children’s Services (FACS), as well as the adult sector.”
“We work with the hard-to-serve population, a very diverse group of people. Some of them are homeless, maybe have addiction issues or unpredictable behaviour.”
What Does ‘Person Centered’ Mean?
PCC services are tailored to the individual. “That’s one of the biggest blessings for us. We can evolve based on the directive of what the people we serve are looking for.” The types of programs have been chosen by the individuals themselves.
“Instead of going to the individual and their family and sharing what we provide, we ask them, ‘What do you need? What are you missing?’ And that, I think, was a real game-changer for a lot of people. Otherwise, they weren’t getting the support.”
Alyshia turned PCC into an incorporation and eventually a not-for-profit organization, which opened up more opportunities. “And now we’re looking at the process of becoming a registered charity because we keep looking at how we can do more, not just for the individual, but also for the community.”
Support
Support to Alyshia and PCC is, “Anything that an individual is looking for. So, that could mean one-on-one, getting them out into the community safely, in-home support such as cooking, cleaning, and personal care. We run camps, provide respite services, and hold group events that meet individual needs. Whatever is needed.”
She says it was really important for her to remove as many barriers as possible for people to have whatever they needed, the support they needed to live their best life.
“A lot of these people are living below the poverty line. They don’t have opportunities to get out in the community or do fun things. Through the passport program, it provides a lot of those individuals with special needs access to these opportunities that they wouldn’t otherwise have access to.”
PCC holds multiple fundraisers throughout the year. On March 14, a Trivia Night event was held at the Fort Erie Golf Course.
Once they receive their charitable status, other businesses and individuals will be able to contribute. This will help keep their service fees low, providing a subsidy beyond the passport funding.
The Team
“One of our best strengths is that we have a very diverse team. Social service workers, occupational therapists, PSWs, developmental service workers, and rec therapists. We also provide appropriate referrals and connect individuals with ministry-funded programs.”
PCC is always looking for volunteers and board members. Volunteers are needed for fundraising events that they hold throughout the year. Working with the vulnerable sector, volunteers go through the standard process.
Students from Niagara College do their co-ops at PCC. “There are students that we’ve eventually hired.”
The organization is also looking for donations and contributions in any form. “We will never say no.”
Hit Hard by the Pandemic
Alyshia shared, “Before COVID, we were supporting over 200 individuals. Many of those individuals attended our day services. Afterwards, we noticed a big change in the individuals we supported.” There was a huge reduction in the requests for their day program. People were having a hard time venturing back out after the lockdowns.
“We needed to come up with different ideas. We’ve beefed up our activities, which are directed by the individuals that we support.”
Celebrating Ten Years!
PCC is celebrating ten years of service to the community on April 17. “It’s going to be at the Sanctuary in Ridgeway. We’ll be holding our Annual General Meeting at 5:00 pm. And then we’re having dinner and a soirée at 6:30 pm.
“We’re going to celebrate what we’ve accomplished, but also these amazing connections that we’ve made along the way with so many families, individuals and other agencies. I’m really proud of the relationships we’ve built, the friendships that have been formed through our activities.” Adding, “It’s a proud mama moment for me, for sure.”
Families will be presenting testimonials. There’ll be live music, a silent auction and a 50/50 draw. The celebration is open to the public. Tickets are $65.
To learn more about PCC, visit www.personcenteredcare.ca. To stay in the loop with their activities, follow the Facebook page, Person Centered Care of Niagara or to make contact personally, phone: 289-303-8956.
