Disability housing: options and how they work

Queensland's housing guidance treats the choice as a practical question: how a person wants to live in a home, what support their daily life there calls for, and what the home itself offers. It notes that the different options can be hard to reach and that availability may take time, that a person applies for the housing they choose, and that others may be applying as well. It suggests thinking through all the options, asking questions and getting advice that fits the situation.

In Queensland, the guidance says most housing support in the state is provided by the government and by community organisations, and that the National Disability Insurance Scheme or the National Injury Insurance Scheme may fund support that helps a person live independently. The options it lists are private renting, social housing, buying a home, sharing a home, and Specialist Disability Accommodation. Social housing takes in public and community housing, is aimed at people in the highest need who struggle to afford or get into private rental, and charges rent that is low or subsidised, usually based on household income.

The guidance also covers accommodation it treats as less suitable but sometimes available: residential services, where four or more residents each have a room and share facilities such as a kitchen or living area, and aged care homes, which are mainly for people aged 65 or older. It notes that in exceptional circumstances a younger person with disability may live in an aged care home.

Specialist Disability Accommodation is funded through the National Disability Insurance Scheme, Queensland's guidance explains, with money from the National Disability Insurance Agency. It suits people whose disability means the home needs special design features. The home includes accessible features that help a person live more independently and make other supports easier or safer to deliver. Eligibility is limited, the guidance says, because most people are able to live in general housing even where modifications or assistive technology are needed.

Approval comes only through the scheme: no other provider can decide whether someone is eligible. People approved for SDA fall into one of four design categories, listed as improved liveability, robust, fully accessible and high physical support. A support coordinator can help find a suitable house, and current vacancies are advertised to participants on the SDA Finder. The guidance adds that living with someone they have not chosen is not a requirement, and that the agency can sometimes adjust SDA funding if a person wants to share their home with people who are not eligible for it.

In Queensland, private renting is described as houses, apartments or townhouses that can be rented through an agency or directly from an owner. It gives wide choice over where to live and who to share with, and can be readily available, but it can be expensive and the security of a long tenancy can differ. Cheaper places might be a house beside a main road, in an area with few transport options, or in poorer condition. Help may be available with finding a rental, with a bond, with a temporary rent subsidy or with catching up on rent, and a renter may be able to modify the home with financial help for the work.

Buying a home is listed for people who can save a deposit and have a regular income for repayments. An owner can modify and adapt the home and stay there as long as they wish, and may be able to get help to make it more accessible. The guidance notes that buying is expensive, that rates, insurance and repairs are ongoing costs, and that loan payments shift with interest rates. A person who cannot get a loan from a private lender may qualify for a low-deposit loan from the Queensland Government, and a new build is covered by a minimum accessibility standard for new homes.

Sharing a home is when people live together in one house, whether they are friends, family or people chosen as housemates, and they share common areas like the kitchen, living room and bathroom. Costs are shared, so it can be more affordable, and it is often easier to find than other options; shared living can come fully furnished. Housemates are expected to get along and to agree on how the space is shared, and the guidance notes that privacy may be compromised at times. Tenancy agreements in private rentals and social housing can rule out some sharing arrangements, and living with others can affect the Rent Assistance a person gets from the Australian Government.

The Department of Housing and Works lists several options for people with disability who need appropriate and affordable housing. The department says this covers impairments that may be intellectual, sensory, physical, cognitive, neurological or psychiatric. To be eligible, the department says a disability has to be permanent or expected to be permanent, and it has to affect housing requirements such as building design, proximity to services or support needs, and applicants must also meet the public housing income limits for people with a disability. Its list covers mainstream rental housing, modifications, purpose-built rental accommodation, home loans, community housing run by non-profit organisations, and bond assistance.

A tenant who has a disability may apply to a housing office for home modifications that improve access around the home, such as ramps, grab rails or bathroom renovations, and the department says an occupational therapist assessment report is required; where there is no occupational therapist, it can arrange an assessment. If a home cannot reasonably be modified, the department may look at a transfer to a more accessible or better located property, or build a purpose-built home. Purpose-built accommodation for people with physical disability is called a mobility home, and the design features listed include level thresholds and wider doorways and passages for wheelchair access, bench-tops set low, large rocker switches, power points at suitable heights, and accessible bathroom design.

The department also points to the Access Home Loan Scheme, designed to help people with disability buy a home of their own, or make changes to a private home they already own.