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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.
Welcome to our last edition for 2021. We celebrate the significant amount of critical work that has been done toward ending the need for younger people with disability to live in aged care; in what have been challenging circumstances over this past year. As we open up and resume face-to-face engagement, we look forward to also carrying over the benefits and efficiencies we’ve honed over the past almost 2 years of working with COVID-19 disruptions.
The Summer Foundation’s Board renewal process continued with new appointments and planned resignations in November.
The successes, challenges and new opportunities from the 2020/21 financial year are highlighted in our latest Annual Report.
It shows the progress of the Summer Foundation against our key areas of focus including:
On-site shared support (OSS) provides a significant opportunity for people with disability living in Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) apartments to increase control over their housing and support options and to lower the cost of their support.
Our UpSkill team has developed a new guide to delivering support coordination to people with complex needs.
The Summer Foundation was the proud promoter behind the Million Dollar Vax competition that received over 2.7 million entries in October. The aim was to increase the rate of vaccination nationally to reduce the burden on our healthcare systems and reduce the risk of infection to the most vulnerable in our community including people with disability. The campaign targeted regions with low vaccination rates.
Andrew, who is 49 years old, has been living in aged care in Tasmania for 4 years.
The Summer Foundation’s Housing Hub team will soon pilot a support coordination service that will specialise in developing housing evidence for Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) eligibility.
More than 330 people logged in to our 10th Annual Public Forum on 4 November. Reaching Towards Success – Closing the door to aged care for young people discussed the progress being made to end the need for younger people to live in aged care, as well as the barriers that remain.
Welcome to our spring update. It has been a particularly busy and satisfying few months for us.
Big changes are needed for the SDA market to meet its potential to help provide housing for an estimated 28,000 young people with disability.
The UpSkill Provider Directory was launched at the beginning of September. The platform gives people with disability online access to a searchable directory of support coordinators and NDIS allied health professionals.
The Summer Foundation’s Reasonable and Necessary podcast has attracted high-powered talent to discuss key issues and opportunities for the NDIS.
Following April’s historic decision by a majority of Building Ministers to incorporate mandatory minimum accessibility standards into the National Construction Code (NCC), it is now up to each state and territory to adopt the new NCC.
So far Victoria, Queensland, ACT, NT and Tasmania have agreed to do so, while NSW, Western Australia and South Australia have declared that they will opt-out.
In July, the Summer Foundation completed its 2-year NDIS Housing Options Project with the Department of Social Services’ Jobs and Market Fund Program.
The Summer Foundation–La Trobe University Research Program is designed to understand the issue of young people in aged care. By researching the issues at each stage of the critical pathways that lead young people to aged care we can provide the evidence needed to create systems change that will solve this problem.
The Housing Hub has a suite of new resources on the website for people who are thinking about moving out of a nursing home or other housing that doesn’t suit them.
The new Support Portal on the Housing Hub website is for professionals who are supporting people with disability to look for suitable housing. It makes everything about clients’ housing searches easier.
