Exploring custom-built accessible housing to support NDIS participants

The organisation is working with those who will live in each house they build to figure out exactly what features will set them up to live their best life.

Baptist Care SA is taking this approach to better support its clients, like Jason*.

Jason currently lives in the family home with his grandmother, who is his primary carer.

His grandmother’s time is split between himself, her husband who lives with dementia and her mother, who lives in a nursing home.

Jason has a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) plan and Baptist Care SA support workers assist him at home to manage his daily life.

However, with Jason’s grandmother wanting to slow down and still trying to juggle all her caring roles, he is increasingly finding himself alone.

A Baptist Care SA Developmental Educator sat down with Jason to develop a Positive Behaviour Support Plan.

As a part of this plan, Jason is now considering what the future might look like and steps he needs to take to shape it, including appropriate housing that is better suited to his needs, both short and long-term.

However, the chronic shortage of private rentals is a well-known issue amongst the community and securing accommodation that is suitable, accessible and affordable is a challenge for many lower income Australians.

Add to this high support needs and the complexities of living with intellectual disability and the stark reality is that people like Jason face an uphill battle and can often be at risk of homelessness.

Unfortunately, Jason’s case is not isolated.

While NDIS clients each have their own unique circumstances, they also have one thing in common – the need for appropriate, accessible and inclusive accommodation.

In response to this, Baptist Care SA has committed to constructing purpose-built specialist disability accommodation (SDA).

Obtaining SDA funding allows people like Jason to have long term, sustainable and fit for purpose homes.

But often people living with disabilities don’t have a meaningful voice in their choice of housing, so Baptist Care SA is pioneering client-centred housing design by building and designing homes around specific clients’ needs.

Aspects such as house features and suitable location will play an important role in setting Baptist Care SA’s clients up for the best chance at better quality of life and sticking to the organisation’s motto, ‘Making life better, together’.

To find out more about Baptist Care SA’s custom-build housing strategy, set for launch in 2023, please call (08) 8273 7190 or email [email protected].

*client’s name has been changed to protect their privacy