Consultations are expected to start in the next week or so to begin developing a plan for the future of the residents currently living in the Valley View Centre.  On Friday, it was announced the facility on the south side of Moose Jaw will be closed in four years.

The Provincial government has announced they are moving the 208 residents in to community-based group homes and expanded day programming by 2016. It's a move that several organizations have been calling for, saying the residents of Valley View should not be in an institution but in the community, interacting with neighbours.

June Avivi with the Valley View Family Association says they've been working towards this change for the better part of a decade and is pleased to hear the news, however she says they need to be diligent in finding the best solutions for the residents. "In terms of their physical needs, in terms of their long term security. We're dealing with parents who are often into their 80's and the median age of residents at Valley View is now 57.  What we hope will happen is that people will move with their peers and hopefully with their staff so that there is limit trauma in this move."

Avivi's son has lived at Valley View for the past 40 years and she doesn't know what will be best for him at this point but she hopes the staff at Valley View have a say, explaining that some of the staff are closer to being family to the residents than actual family members.