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Source: The Guardian – Luke Henriques-Gomes | Photo: Christopher Hopkins
A Melbourne woman with cerebral palsy is fighting to stay in her home just a year after moving in because the agency running the national disability insurance scheme has decided her funding is no longer “value for money”.
Source: The Guardian – Luke Henriques-Gomes | Photo: Christopher Hopkins
Government data shows 1,140 participants are stuck in hospital waiting for housing funding or other support before they can be released.
Source: The Age – Jewel Topsfield | Photo: Joe Armao
The state government has revealed that more than 200 Victorians with a disability were stuck in hospital for an average of 160 days after they were well enough to be discharged, and blamed the hold-up on the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
In 2021 the Summer Foundation held a series of workshops and interviews with on-site support providers, specialist disability accommodation (SDA) providers, and tenants living in SDA apartments. Preliminary findings from the workshops were published in May 2022, and the main findings were that there is scope for service redesign and innovation to improve the quality and efficiency of support.
This discussion paper draws on the evidence provided by a series of workshops and interviews with on-site support providers, specialist disability accommodation (SDA) providers, and tenants living in SDA apartments.
It documents the perspectives of tenants, SDA providers and OSS providers on co-located single occupancy SDA. It looks at the key challenges and benefits, and identifies potential solutions to improve the consistency, quality and cost effectiveness of the disability supports delivered to tenants living in these dwellings.
We are seeking input from support providers for improving the preliminary report and recommendations. Please contact research@summerfoundation.org.au by 30 June 2022.
Rachel speaks about her experience of waiting for SDA and the impact that it had on her life.
Source: ABC News – Elizabeth Wright & Alison Branley | Photo: Chris Le Page
Alicia Appleby is 38 years old but she’s been living in a geriatric ward in a Melbourne hospital for more than 260 days.
Ms Appleby has had two strokes, has a mild intellectual disability and needs constant care.
Source: Probono – Di Winkler & Peter Mulherin
Australia has over 3,400 younger people living in aged care, due to a lack of timely funding for viable alternatives. Younger people living in aged care lose skills, social connection and hope. The federal government has committed to getting them out – but its targets will be difficult to achieve.
Source: The Conversation – Di Winkler & Jacinta Douglas
The federal government has been warning that the rising cost of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is unsustainable. More than a third of NDIS funding is spent on in-house support provided to 5% of NDIS participants with the highest needs.
Source: The Age – Jewel Topsfield | Photo: Jamila Toderas
Connor Brookhouse didn’t want to live in a group disability home. So he appealed to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal and won.
Dr George Taleporos is back with a new episode of Reasonable & Necessary, where he meets NDIS participant Leila Bowheen who has been stuck in hospital for almost a year, waiting for housing and support. We also talk to Adam Horsburgh, CEO at the Austin Hospital for his take on the problem and how it can be solved.
You can download and listen to the audio version on SoundCloud, iTunes (Apple Podcasts) or Spotify.
Source: LinkedIn – Di Winkler
We are pleased to announce the new chair of Summer Foundation, Chris Leptos AM as Chairman Elect for the Summer Foundation. Chris is an experienced Director with a wealth of international corporate roles. His experience in the housing sector combined with his work advising state and federal governments provides him with unique qualifications to take up the role of Summer Foundation Chairman. Chris has a strong interest in social impact and systems change, and shares the fundamental belief of Summer Foundation that young people in residential aged care (YPIRAC) is a solvable issue.
Jamie-Lee writes about her experience of waiting 12 months for SDA and the impact that had on her life.
Source: Disability Support Guide – Anna Christian
The Federal Budget is due to be delivered tomorrow night and many people with disability could benefit from funding if advocates’ demands are met.
Meet Karen, who is sharing a poem she has written about her experience living with Cerebal Palsy.
My name is Karen and I have cerebral palsy and a few other disabilities. I love to read and write, and binge watch tv.
I have cerebral palsy,
But it doesn’t have me,
I use a wheelchair to get around,
It helps set me free.
I have cerebral palsy,
As a child I thought it had me,
I had to fit in a box to belong,
Cerebral palsy made everything feel wrong.
Took a long time for me to realise that I didn’t have to fit in,
Be another cookie in a box,
Instead of standing out in a crowd,
I thought cerebral palsy wasn’t allowed.
Now it’s something that I am proud of,
A badge of honour,
With battle scars,
Gives me a unique story to tell.
Through my life I have been through hell,
Wondering if I could face another day,
Just like the one before,
Didn’t know if I could take another hit.
Fall down,
Get back up again,
Put myself back together,
Time and time again.
There are cracks in my walls,
That I used to put up every single day,
To hold the demons cerebral palsy creates,
Away from myself.
I now understand we all have demons,
We have to keep at bay,
Put ourselves back together,
Different in many ways.
I tell my story now with pride,
About who I am and where I have been,
Know where I want to go,
Cerebral palsy is just a small part of who I am.
The 25th of March is National Cerebral Palsy awareness day. I would like people to know that cerebral palsy affects each person differently. No two people who have it are the same. One day I want to be a counsellor to help others with disabilities deal with their own battle scars and understand that it is okay to be different and whoever they want to be. It might be a long road to get there but one thing I know for sure is that I am no longer afraid to be me. Cerebral palsy and all, nothing is going to stop me.
If you would like to share your lived experience please contact us:
Email – livedexperience@summerfoundation.org.au
Phone – 0499 333 105
Critical to successfully resolving the issue of Young People in Residential Aged Care is streamlining NDIS processes for funding housing and support until they become as responsive as the aged care system.
In the lead-up to the federal election, the Summer Foundation is working with an alliance of people with disability, advocacy organisations and the housing, health and disability sectors to campaign for timely NDIS funding for housing and support.
Last week a new campaign was launched to get Australians with disability the housing support
they need.
Off the back of our successful Building Better Homes campaign in 2021, this year will see many new homes around the country built to minimum accessibility standards. This means new homes will include features such as increased door widths and a no-step entrance, making a significant difference to the millions of Australians with mobility issues.
In October 2021, the Housing Brokerage Service (HBS) started working with the Victorian Department of Health and Melbourne health services to support people with disability to discharge from hospital into housing that meets their needs and preferences.
The Federal Government is looking to introduce amendments to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Act 2013. The Summer Foundation has produced explainers for participants and the sector based on information in the draft legislation.
What would you like to share with readers about yourself?
I’m Samar, I’m 33, I have cerebral palsy and live in a new SDA apartment. I work training support workers at courses and my other job is a personal assistant. I also do projects with the Summer Foundation.
I enjoy getting out and about – I like going to the beach, restaurants and out for coffee. I used to stay at home but now I’m very outgoing and love to live life.
When you have disability it can be hard to find a home that is right for you. And if you have lived somewhere that isn’t right – like a nursing home – for a long time it can be really hard to imagine moving somewhere else.
With generous funding support from the TAC and State Trustees, people who have experience of moving out of unsuitable housing created some great resources for those who are just starting their journeys. The resources are designed to help people navigate the challenges and feelings that come with such a big transition. They include a podcast, videos and information about getting the right support.
You can access the “Moving out of a nursing home” resources here.
You can also listen to the ABC story that talks about the resources here.
Source: Disability Support Guide – Anna Christian
Thousands of people with disability are waiting far too long for approval for the housing they need, causing stress and impacting their health, the members of a new campaign say.
The Down to 10 Days campaign launched this week and aims to have the wait of up to 18 months for housing approval under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) cut to ten days to protect the health and wellbeing of people with disability.
The Canberra Times – Dan Jervis-Bardy (Picture: Elesa Kurtz)
The Morrison government is under pressure to end the bureaucratic delays being blamed for confining NDIS participants to hospital beds or forcing them into aged care homes.
A coalition of housing, health and disability groups has launched a pre-election campaign calling on the National Disability Insurance Agency to dramatically speed up decisions about funding for supported accommodation.
Source: The Canberra Times – Dan Jervis-Bardy
The pre-election federal budget should include an extra $50 million to help get NDIS participants out of hospital and into suitable housing, according to a leading advocacy group.
The Summer Foundation has made the request as disability-supported homes sit vacant across Australia, including in Canberra, while hospital-bound participants are unable to move into them amid delays processing paperwork and approving funding.
Paulene shares her experience of moving from aged care into her own SDA apartment in the Summer Foundation Annual Report.
