To understand what ‘works’ in the disability housing space, La Trobe University, the Summer Foundation and a range of partners have developed the Home and Living Outcome Framework.
The framework is being used as part of our 3-year, $1.64 million project, funded through an Australian Research Council linkage grant, investigating the experiences, outcomes and economic impact of people with disability moving into specialist disability accommodation (SDA).
Preliminary findings reveal insights into the experience of moving into and living in newly built SDA funded through the NDIS.
Researchers interviewed 15 NDIS participants living in single-occupant SDA apartments and collected data before and after tenants moved into their new homes. After moving into SDA:
- Overall health improved for 60% of tenants
- Wellbeing ratings improved for 66% of tenants
- Community integration scores improved for 73% of tenants
- Average daily support hours fell by 2.4 hours
- Only 66% of tenants required overnight support, dropping from 87% pre-move
In a recent LinkedIn article, Summer Foundation CEO Dr Di Winkler says: “Building disability housing that is based on rigorous evidence is essential for enabling people to exercise their right to live a good life.
“There is an urgent need for the co-design of new models of housing and support that deliver high quality, cost-effective support.
“These models should build on local and international evidence and best practice. Better outcomes will not only benefit people with disability, providers and investors, but also state and federal governments as they address the rising costs of the NDIS.”
The project is actively recruiting new participants and partners. Visit the webpage for more information.