A Summer Foundation report released today identifies innovative examples of housing and living options both in Australia and overseas that are delivering better outcomes for people with disability.
Despite the significant investment in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), many people who need access to 24/7 support are still living in group homes where the support is often poor quality, expensive, and puts people at increased risk of violence, abuse and neglect.
Both the Disability Royal Commission and the NDIS Review called for urgent reform in housing and living supports to address poor outcomes and significant cost pressures on the NDIS.
The cost of Supported Independent Living has increased by 26% annually over the past 2 years, from $8.8 billion to $14 billion.
The Summer Foundation’s Innovation in housing and living for people with disability: Environmental scan report, has identified promising models of innovation that can create alternative options to group homes, spanning housing, support and technology.
The report shows that while there are only pockets of innovation in Australia, other countries have managed to scale up innovative models of housing and living supports that are delivering better outcomes for people with disability, and are more cost-effective.
The scan identified 23 Australian and international examples of innovation in housing and living, including:
- Host arrangements: A person with disability is matched with an approved carer who has a spare room in their home. The participant shares in the host’s family and community life (UK, US and WA)
- Home-share arrangements: A person needing support has a home with a spare room and offers it for free or at low-cost rent to a ‘home sharer’ in exchange for some informal or occasional support (Australia, UK, Canada).
- Night Time Attendant Care: Mobile team of support workers operating overnight, providing drop in support to assist with transfers, repositioning and medication assistance, and other services that may enhance comfort overnight (QLD, VIC and NSW).
The models in the report were found to be more individualised and inclusive than group homes and were suited to the population of NDIS participants.
Summer Foundation CEO, Dr Di Winkler AM, said the scan suggested there is potential to use a combination of models to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of housing and living support delivered in Australia.
“While technology has transformed service delivery in most other industries, the way support is delivered in disability housing has changed little over the past two decades,” Dr Winkler said.
“The National Disability Insurance Agency has an important role to play encouraging investment in technology and guiding the market towards its use.
“The reform of the NDIS needs to make sure that policy, regulation and the pricing framework support the scaling of models that deliver positive outcomes for participants that are affordable for government.”
Dr Winkler said there is an urgent need to pilot and scale more innovative and contemporary models of housing and support that deliver better outcomes for people with disability and the government.
“Without innovation and disruption in the way support is delivered in disability housing and support, there is little hope of achieving the radical change in quality needed,” Dr Winkler said.
“We need the government and the sector to embrace innovation and be prepared to do things differently to deliver better outcomes for Australians with disability who have high support needs.”
Read the Innovation in housing and living support for people with disability: Environmental scan report.
The Summer Foundation is an Australian organisation investing in identifying, designing and scaling up great ideas that deliver better housing and living solutions for Australians with disability who need access to 24/7 support.