Brantwood Community Services has a long history of providing specialized care and changing their services to meet community needs.
Originally known as the Brant Sanatorium, Brantwood was established in 1913 as a residential care facility for tuberculosis patients. In 1959, the emphasis transitioned to caring for the chronically ill.
In 1964 a division was opened for children with developmental and physical challenges and within five years the agency was caring for 129 children. In 1980 the chronic care division was closed and the facilities name was changed to Brantwood Residential Development Centre to reflect the agency’s new mandate.
In 1992, following the provincial government’s Challenges and Opportunities policy initiative, Brantwood implemented a community plan to move people out of institutional environments and back into their home communities. The plan was successful in integrating over 100 institutionalized people back into local neighborhoods.
In November 1999, the residential component of Brantwood’s main facility at 25 Bell Lane, Brantford, was closed. For the first time since 1939, 25 Bell Lane was not needed as an institution.
Brantwood was then successful in rezoning surplus land for development and using the proceeds from the sale of this land to refurbish the main facility. This renovated Abilities Centre provides a state of the art specialized resource to the community.
