Creating a home

People with disability have the right to live in similar ways to the majority of Australians

Family Advocacy believes that people with disability have the same right as other Australians to have appropriate and relevant housing options and choices available to them. This means that the living situations of people with disability should be similar to those on offer to the general community.

Read Family Advocacy’s position statement on inclusive housing.

The unfortunate reality is that moving out of home is often much more difficult for people with disability than for their peers without disability. Many young men and women with disability stay living at home with their families when they are of an age when it would be more appropriate for them to live in a home that suits their individual personality and needs.

Family Advocacy is of the view that people with disability, just like other people, should have a range of living options to choose from and that these should be consistent with those of the rest of society. These might be a house – whether it is a detached or semi detached house, a town house, units, a terrace, a granny flat etc.. They may live alone or with one or more people of their choosing.There are many possibilities.

There is significant research that suggests that people with developmental disability experience better quality of life – including improved skill development – when they experience smaller, more individualised, flexible living arrangements.

Supported living

Supported living is an approach to housing and support for people with disability based on the fundamental belief that every person has a right to lead their own life, to determine where, how, with whom they live and who provides them with support.

Common elements of supported living include:

Separation of housing and support
Support is provided by a combination of informal (non-paid) and paid support with intentional strategies used to develop informal support
Paid support is individualised, flexible and under the control of the person with disability

Where a service provider is involved, it stands beside the person with disability and their family to develop and implement the lifestyle the person wants.

Below are some articles that will help with your understanding of what supported living is and what it is not and what the research is telling us.

Why Group Homes Are No Longer Optimal Michael Kendrick (sourced from the Centre for Welfare Reform)
Learning to listen: the key to supported living Scott Shepard and Cheryl Mayfield
From a four-bed ‘placement’ to a New Life David Weatherow
Supported Living: From Control to Freedom Peter Kinsella
Crucial Times: Creating Home an exploration of the efforts and commitments to create individual lives March 2008, Issue 40
Families for Change: Supported Living Edition Autumn 2008
Vulnerability in Adult Home Sharing Situations for Persons with Disabilities Michael Kendrick
The Choice between a ‘real home’ and a program Michael Kendrick
Housing and support for people with “challenging behaviour” – some guidance Michael Kendrick
New Quasi-institutions as Examples of Human Service Unconsciousness Martin Elks – This article raises important considerations in regard to the dynamics of institutionalisation, the history of human services and the SRV theme of unconsciousness.

Examples of Supported Living

Most good examples of supported living in Australia have been the result of people getting started, with or without funding, on what they want. What these families share is a clear, strong idea of people with disability being able to live where and how they want, with flexible, individualised support.

Reading what others have done may give you some ideas and inspiration, but the first steps you decide to take will depend on the person with a disability you are thinking about and what they want.

The examples and stories provided below show it is possible to get supported living for people with all kinds of disability and support needs.

My Home My Way Website – This website contains many resources, often written or produced by people with a disability and their supporters. These resources will assist in holding a vision for each person, no matter what their needs, to live in their own home with a range of personally tailored supports.

Adam Moves Out – An information resource for Adam’s moving out of home experience. This is a step by step approach taken by Adam’s family and friends to realise a dream of Adam having a place of his own that he can call home. There are stories, videos and many ideas that are shared to assist other families in this process.

Jac’s Place

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Living a good life – Margaret

Living a good life – Tom

Dee’s Place

Options for housing in NSW

Community Housing

Community Housing is one of three ways social housing is provided in NSW along with public housing and Aboriginal housing.

It is affordable housing that is subsidised by a housing association and/or the Government.

Community housing may be an option for your family member. To search for community housing providers you can enter a suburb or state to see a full list of approved providers on the National Provider Register.

Refer to NSW community housing eligibility for more information.

How to apply for community housing

Commonwealth Rent Assistance (CRA)
CRA is an income supplement provide through the Department of Social Services to eligible people who rent in the private rental market or in community housing.

NSW Private Rental Assistance
There are several kinds of private rental assistance available from Housing NSW, the state government housing department (which also provides public housing). These include Rentstart bond loans, small amounts of advance rent, tenancy assistance to help people who have fallen into arrears and a statement of satisfactory tenancy for public housing tenants who are moving to the private rental market. There is also a tenancy guarantee of up to $1500 to encourage private landlords to rent to people without a previous private rental history.

NSW Private Brokerage Service to assist people in moving into a private rental arrangement.

NSW Private Rental Subsidy

Assists with paying the rent for up to three years and provides support to build capacity for independent living.

Options for support in NSW

Support to live independently now falls under the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Please visit the NDIS housing area for more information and to determine eligibility. Also visit our webpage Advocacy and the NDIS for further information and guidance.

Navigating NDIS

Despite the fact that the NDIS aims to give people with disability more flexibility and control, advocacy is just as important as ever. This is because power still resides largely with those groups implementing change – the government, the bureaucracy, and non-government service providers. Vigorous advocacy is needed to ensure...

Creating a home

People with disability have the right to live in similar ways to the majority of Australians Family Advocacy believes that people with disability have the same right as other Australians to have appropriate and relevant housing options and choices available to them. This means that the living situations of people with disability...

Community living

Many people with developmental disability live under low expectations and limited opportunities that prevent the development of valued social roles within the community. Their days may be empty or full of programs and activities that keep them busy but are of no real interest to them and serve little purpose....

Employment for All

Having the opportunity to be in a work or volunteering type role can provide a sense of purpose, self-worth and the opportunity to contribute to the community. This section of our website will look at how you could support your family member with disability to pursue their interests and strengths...

School years

All kids together in the regular classroom What does it mean to be included? Inclusion is a word that is often misrepresented and therefore can be confusing. Family Advocacy believe people with disability should have the same opportunities that other Australians enjoy and expect. Their involvement in community should be genuine,...

Early childhood

Advocacy Tips and Tools to Make it Happen Below are some clips that may help you think about the sort of life you want for your child when getting ready for school and life. It is never too early to start thinking about the future. The resources below offer practical...