Joint statement on disability housing

The following is a joint statement from Scope, Melba Support Services, Aruma, Life Without Barriers and Possability provided to The Age to inform its article published on 7 September on looming changes to disability housing. The Age did not publish the statement.

People with disability have the right to choose how they live and to have support to participate fully in their communities. This includes the right to live in homes that reflect the persons choice, are safe, comfortable and enable access to utilities and the community.

As experienced, registered providers that have been supporting participants of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) to live with choice and dignity, our first priority is to ensure people can rely on continuity of support and service. We acknowledge the media coverage of challenges with the NDIS understandably create uncertainty for people that receive these vital services. As sector colleagues, we are deeply committed to participants of the NDIS, as well as to the intention of the scheme to offer a thriving and sustainable market of choice for people nationwide.

Housing options for people with disability are evolving and while there is still demand for shared living, there are also other options that people are choosing and more options which need to be advanced and developed. These emerging options, disability housing standards, and people’s preferences sometimes mean an existing house no longer meets the needs of people.

Another contributing factor to recent reported closures of services has been inadequate NDIS plans and pricing gaps. The Ability Roundtable Benchmark shows the NDIS price paid to registered providers of supported independent living services is five per cent below the costs to deliver services at required safety standards. This gap is real and problematic. Most urgently, there are participants in supported independent living arrangements whose plans do not adequately fund the critical supports they require. This shortfall has had a direct impact on some providers being able to continue to offer services under the current arrangements. It is important we remember the Scheme has been an enormous reform and will need constant and ongoing investment and collaboration to succeed.

As a sector who believes the NDIS can be the world class scheme it promises to be for people with disability, there are a number of things we are doing to address these concerns:

• We are listening to and working with participants of the NDIS to understand how and where they wish to live and developing options to create choice for people.
• We are ensuring people have stable, appropriate housing that meets their individual needs and preferences, regardless of funding challenges.
• We are engaging in direct and open dialogue with the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) to address pressures and implement solutions.