Supplier News Accommodation
A provider’s guide to setting up a great disability home
Article by The Nest Team
With the rollout of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), many new developers and community housing providers are set to join the disability accommodation market. That’s exciting news for people with disability because it means there will be more homes available that can meet their needs and lifestyles. However joining the disability housing market isn’t as straightforward as it first may seem.
Communicating with your customers is key
Disability housing is a very broad category and the needs of your customers can vary dramatically. You might be providing a home for someone who is vision impaired, someone who needs a hoist to get in and out of bed, or someone who uses a wheelchair to move around the house.
Meeting accessibility standards doesn’t always mean meeting your customer’s needs. Little things like the location of toilets and power points can be the difference between whether a home is accessible or not. That’s why it’s so important to talk to people with disability at every stage of the development process. Design features that might not seem obvious to you could make a big difference to the quality of life for someone with disability.
It’s more than disability housing, it’s a home
A great disability home is a place your customers want to be, where their needs are being met, and where they feel comfortable. It’s a place where they feel empowered and supported, and where they can choose for themselves how they want their room and home to look, and how they want their day to unfold. It’s somewhere that moves with what your customer wants, not what your organisation wants.
As with any home, finding compatible housemates is key to creating a happy home. It’s important that as the housing provider you empower your customers to decide on who they want to live with.
Get the right staff
It takes a special kind of person to work in a disability home. You need to find staff with an empowering attitude, who treat the house as a person’s home, not a workplace. You need people who understand the importance of what they are doing, and are well trained to meet the wants and needs of the people they are supporting.
You’ll be making a powerful difference
Providing accommodation for people with disability is very rewarding. You’ll be helping address the chronic shortage in accessible housing, and changing people’s lives.
If you want to learn more about how to make your properties accessible and liveable, visit Liveable Housing Australia.
