Our Research Team has been very busy lately with the publication of several journal articles including literature reviews on young people in aged care, outcomes of moving to individualised housing and the use of smart home technology.
You can read the articles on our website here.
Since being set up as part of the Summer Foundation’s response to COVID-19, the Housing Brokerage Service (HBS) has grown and developed.
“We created the team as a COVID response to use the knowledge and expertise in the organisation to help in the emergency situation we all found ourselves in, but the demand and outcomes have been so positive that we are going to continue until at least December 2020, and possibly even longer,” said Project Lead Cath Bucolo.
The HBS works with NDIS participants with complex needs who are ready for discharge but are often stuck in hospital waiting for an appropriate housing option to be found.
All new housing should be accessible for everyone – that’s the message in the Summer Foundation’s recent submission to the Australian Building Codes Board.
The Summer Foundation Board welcomed new member Dean Ireland at its August meeting.
Dean has been a long-time supporter of the Summer Foundation, particularly the work of the Housing Hub team, and is on the housing advisory committee.
The Housing Hub team has this year supported 200 young people with disability and complex support needs to move in to their own SDA apartments.
One of these is Gretta, a 29-year-old who has recently moved into a new SDA apartment in the Sydney suburb of Penrith.
The new Housing Hub is already proving to be a great success – in its first 3 weeks it saw 52 housing seeker profiles added, 309 housing seeker sign ups and 581 inquiries to providers.
The Housing Hub website is the place for people with disability to find the home that is just right, and for housing providers to connect with people looking for accessible housing.
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.
As we navigate what’s happening in the world around us we are faced with new challenges, but also new opportunities. We have been planning a number of initiatives in recent months that we are excited to start rolling out.
You will be seeing more opportunities to get involved, including a pilot project designed to develop tools that will help people find a new home, and also inform the future of our work. We will be inviting people to contribute so stay tuned for updates.
Emma Gee is part of our new lived experience team.
“With a background as an occupational therapist and then surviving a stroke at the age of 24, I hope that I can share my experiences as a provider and recipient to further humanise the incredible work that the Summer Foundation already delivers,” Emma said.
“In my role, I hope to develop and deliver resources, services, policies and processes that are informed and shaped by people with lived experience.”
If you are a person with an acquired neurological disability, a close other with an acquired neurological disability, or a disability support worker, we want to hear your views about the factors that influence the quality of paid disability support.
We will be facilitating online focus groups and 1:1 interviews to discuss your experiences and perspectives. If you are interested in participating, please email research@summerfoundation.org.au and we will tell you more about the project.
