When Rosalie Dow moved into transitional housing in Melbourne with her two young children in 2013, she thought it would only be for a few months. Dow’s son, Mayer, was two, and showing signs of what would soon be diagnosed as Coffin-Lowry syndrome, a rare and often debilitating genetic condition with complications including intellectual disability, … Continued
This first Inquiry focused on the experiences of NDIS participants living in supported accommodation. The Inquiry examined reportable incidents and complaints that have been made to the NDIS Commission in connection with the supported accommodation services provided by 7 of the largest providers of these services over the period 1 July 2018 to 30 September 2022. The inquiry report describes trends in issues that are occurring in supported accommodation, what is causing those issues, models of best practice to eliminate or address these issues, and how the NDIS Commission can use its powers to support the delivery of higher standards of support in these settings.
There have been more than 7,000 serious incidents — including sexual misconduct, serious injury, abuse and neglect — in disability group homes over the past four years, according to a startling new report from the NDIS complaints watchdog. The report followed an inquiry into disability group homes, set up to identify trends among issues occurring in the sector and how best to address them.
The Inquiry examined reportable incidents and complaints made to the NDIS Commission in connection with the supported accommodation services (specifically group homes). The Inquiry’s purpose was to enable the NDIS Commissioner to identify trends in issues occurring in supported accommodation, what is causing those issues, models of best practice to eliminate or address these issues, and how the NDIS Commission can use its powers to support the delivery of higher standards of support in these settings.
A bleak new report has revealed the scale of issues in Australia’s supported accommodation system. The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission’s inaugural ‘Own Motion Inquiry’ into Aspects of Supported Accommodation found that people with disability had experienced thousands of incidents in group homes run by seven of the nation’s largest providers.
“This new process will mean less red-tape for NDIS participants and their families, and faster access to minor works they need done to allow them to live safely and more independently in their homes,” Minister Shorten said. Eligible NDIS participants will no longer need to go through protracted NDIA processes for minor, non-structural modifications that cost under $20,000.
More patients with a disability who have been medically cleared but are stuck waiting in hospital for a NDIS plan will be able to go home earlier, with the Andrews Labor Government expanding a program to reduce bed block around the state. The $39 million Pathways to Home program helps patients with a disability transition home or into home-like accommodation once they are medically fit for discharge from hospital, and while they await their permanent accommodation plans through the NDIS.
Amy Marks had to wait for hours on the floor of her “inaccessible” Melbourne apartment after she fell while reaching for a glass. Marks can’t reach her kitchen cabinets and has to keep her plates on the floor. Even getting an Uber has become a nightmare as there’s no accessible parking nearby.
Trying to get a rental property under my own name is a nightmare, because real estate agents don’t like the look of me on paper. I’m on a full disability pension. I’m searching for work – be it casual, part-time or full-time – but it’s hard to hold down a job when you’ve got weekly medical appointments. And with no employment or rental history, you can’t secure a rental property.
Sometimes it meant “14 days without a shower”, Colin said. “I‘ve got no support, I’ve got nothing. I’ve got no way of cooking food, there is no fridge … [The] bathroom I can’t use,” he said.
On any night there’s an estimated 116,000 homeless people in Australia and the majority of them have a disability. “Having nowhere to go after hospitalisation … that’s one of the difficulties I faced,” she said. “You just feel nothing, you’ve got nowhere to go, you don’t really have the ability or the finance to feel anything, so it’s nothingness.
Should newly built homes have to be accessible for frail elderly people or people with a disability? Aged and disability advocates certainly think so, and they’re urging a meeting of housing ministers on Friday to push for agreement on national accessible building standards.
The SDA provider experience report shows there are more than 1,000 vacancies in new, purpose-built homes. The report shows that the vacancies are not due to a lack of demand, but because of issues with the NDIA’s role as ‘market steward’. That includes slow, inaccurate decisions by the NDIA on housing and providing a lack of accurate demand data for example.
This research investigated Individual Supported Living (ISL) arrangements, which have been developed to provide appropriate and preferred homes for persons with intellectual disabilities and high support needs. Study participants highlighted the benefits of quality ISL arrangements and the challenges in developing and maintaining them. Coordination of disability and housing policies and practices will enhance the sustainability of these arrangements. This includes the need to recognise and coordinate access to affordable and suitable housing, as well as in-home support.
In May last year Samar Bain, 33, moved into a new apartment provided by the NDIS’s specialist disability accommodation (SDA) program. The home, in Heidelberg in Melbourne’s north-east, gives her the freedom and independence she has long desired. But changes to her NDIS plan mean she faces being forced to move back into shared accommodation.