The saying “there’s no place like home” was made famous by Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. And it’s true. Home is somewhere we feel at ease and have the freedom to be ourselves.
The NDIS delivers a range of supports to help people with a disability to live independently in their own home, rental property or specialist disability accommodation.
Importantly, the NDIS does not directly fund housing or rent, but it may fund supports to help you find, set up or maintain housing that suits your needs.
Today we’ll take a look at housing and the types of housing-related supports that can be funded by the NDIS.
Types of supports.
Most NDIS participants will access housing in the private market through renting, owning a home or through social housing provided by the government.
The NDIS covers a range of supports that help people with disability to live more independently in any of these settings. These can include:
- Home modifications to your own home or private rental property (with owner and/or body corporate permission)
- Home modifications to social housing (but only where an agreement has been reached with the housing provider and assessed as reasonable and necessary by the NDIS)
- Supports that help build capacity to live independently in the community
- Supports that help to improve living skills, plus money and household management
- Housing transition supports (such as help to search, apply for and set up housing) where disability impacts your ability to do this independently.
Keep in mind that the NDIS only covers ‘reasonable and necessary’ supports that are directly related to your disability. It does not cover rent, mortgage payments, groceries, electricity, gas or water bills.
Housing supports provided by other programs.
The NDIS does not provide social or affordable housing. State and territory government programs support people to find affordable housing in the general rental housing market.
Housing-related supports funded by other systems other (not the NDIS) include:
- Social and community housing
- Homelessness and emergency accommodation services
- Commonwealth Rent Assistance
- The National Rental Affordability Scheme.
Finding the right housing.
It’s important that where you live works for you and meets your individual needs. If you cannot search for housing on your own without support, the NDIS may provide Capacity Building funding to help you look for housing.
It’s a good idea to talk with your local area coordinator (LAC) or planner about your housing needs at your planning meeting or reassessment so you can get the right supports in your plan.
If you can’t access the housing you need through public or community housing, the NDIS may also be able to provide extra assistance, such as a local area coordinator (LAC), to discuss your needs with housing providers.
Support for living in your own home or rental property.
There are two main types of supports the NDIS can provide to help people be more independent at home:
1. Home modifications.
The NDIS may fund home modifications to your own home or a rental property if they are deemed reasonable and necessary. Such modifications generally need to relate to resolving access issues, supporting care arrangements or improving accessibility.
An assessment by an occupational therapist is required. For more information read our previous article on Home modifications.
2. Individualised Living Options (ILO)
Individualised Living Options (ILO) are home and living supports designed around the way you want to live. These arrangements are highly personalised and may involve sharing with others, living on your own or receiving tailored support in your own home.
For more detail, see our article: NDIS Individualised Living Options (ILO).
3. Assistive technology and in-home supports
The NDIS may fund Assistive Technology to help with everyday tasks. In-home supports may also be approved to assist with household tasks and daily personal activities.
Check out our previous story Understanding NDIS home and living supports for full details.
The NDIS and Specialist Disability Accommodation.
Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) provides accommodation for a small number of people who need specialist housing.
NDIS funding is only available to NDIS participants who have extreme functional impairment requiring a high amount of supports related to mobility, personal care and self management of daily tasks and routiness, or very high support needs and meet specific eligibility criteria.
Participants seeking eligibility for SDA will be required to provide a range of information to the NDIS to check if you meet the criteria for this support, or if you might be better funded for a different type of Home & Living support.
Leap in! can help.
If you need help to navigate housing and the NDIS, the Leap in! Crew are here to help. Call 1300 05 78 78, email [email protected] or sign up to Leap in! plan management today.
