The Summer Foundation has welcomed the Federal Government’s new funding and strategy to reduce the number of younger people living in aged care.
The release of the Young People in Residential Aged Care (YPIRAC) Strategy and funding boost is another positive step towards achieving the government’s targets supporting young people to find appropriate housing that suits their needs, said the Summer Foundation’s Head of Government Relations and Policy, Amelia Condi.
The YPIRAC targets seek to ensure, apart from in exceptional circumstances, there are no people aged under 65 entering aged care by 2022; no people aged under 45 living in aged care by 2022; and no people aged under 65 living in aged care by 2025.
“The Summer Foundation has been working closely with the Federal Government to help shape and design the newly released strategy,” Ms Condi said.
“We are also progressing work on some of the key priority areas outlined in the strategy through the provision of the Housing Hub, a housing matching platform that enables people with disability to explore their housing needs and preferences and provides housing options that are right for them.”
The strategy outlines the steps that will be put in place to support young people in residential aged care, or those at risk of admission to aged care, in considering their housing options and moving to more appropriate accommodation.
Young people with disability should be able to live independently in a community they choose, close to family, friends and the activities they wish to engage in. Now this is a possibility for all young people with disability, Ms Condi said.
The Summer Foundation was established in 2006 to permanently stop young people with disability being forced into residential aged care, ensuring people with disability have access to the support required to be in control of where, how and with whom they live.