Welcome to Housing Options Made Easy (HOME).
For most Australians, having a safe and comfortable home is a given. It is a place where we feel supported, secure, and surrounded by people and things that matter to us. That basic expectation should hold true for everyone, including people with disability.
Historically, that has not been the case.
For decades, Group Homes, also known as Community Residential Units, were the main option for people with disability who moved out of the family home. For others who acquired a disability later in life, the path often involved time in Residential Aged Care and/or hospital, followed by a transition into a group home. These options were rarely about individual preference. They were usually about availability and system convenience.
That is changing.
Your NDIS Plan Moves With You
One of the strengths of the NDIS is that your funding is portable. If you have an NDIS plan, it travels with you. This opens up real choices about where you live, who you live with, and how your supports are delivered.
Group Homes are still part of the landscape, but they are no longer the only path. In theory, people can develop a home and living arrangement that is unique to them, and that responds directly to individual needs and preferences.
That level of choice is a good thing. But it also brings complexity.
We often hear from people and families who feel overwhelmed. They want to know:
Where do we even begin?
What questions should we be asking?
How do we make sure this will last?
Who can walk with us through it?
What happens to my loved one when I am no longer able to care for them?
That is why we created Housing Options Made Easy. To simplify the process, clarify the options, and support people to design housing arrangements that genuinely reflect their lives and preferences. Built for them, by them, with expert guidance along the way.
What We Know So Far
Housing Options Made Easy has been working alongside NDIS participants since 2019 to pursue home and living goals that are sustainable, and suited to each person’s circumstances, preferences, and support needs.
Through that work, we have learned a lot:
- Starting the process of thinking about housing is best done early. There are lots of things to consider.
- Families are worried about what is going to happen to their adult children when they are no longer able to care for them.
- Moving out of home for the first time can be the most daunting and stressful thing someone can do.
- There are many ways in which people can live with support in the community and they are as unique as each individual.
- People can choose to live alone if that suits their lifestyle.
- Learning new skills that will be useful once someone moves out into the community can start today.
- People should be empowered to make informed decisions through access to specialist knowledge of the NDIS.
- People with disability don’t have to live with others who have a disability.
- Getting a home that suits you takes time, planning and support.
- Residential aged care is no place for young people with disability to live.
Funding you can access
The NDIS has a couple of ways of providing funding for Participants to think about a home for the future, and these are:
- Support Coordination Level 2 - This support can be used to broadly explore a range of Home and Living Options in the community.
- ILO - Exploration and Design - This support can be used exclusively to explore an Individualised Living Option (ILO) Model of Supports.
The NDIS provides Individualised Living Option (ILO) funding in two stages. Stage 1 is Explore and Design, which helps you work out how you want to live, where, with whom, and what support will help make that happen. Stage 2 provides funding to implement and sustain that arrangement over time, including ongoing monitoring and adjustment.
ILO may be suitable for people who need at least 6 hours of support per day at home (either formal or informal) and want to explore flexible, community-based arrangements. It is not usually suitable for those who need 24-hour rostered care or frequent formal overnight active support.
Before you apply for Explore and Design funding through the NDIS, we strongly suggest speaking with someone who understands the Individualised Living Options (ILO) space. The information you provide to the NDIS can influence your future funding, so it is worth getting it right from the beginning.
You can let the NDIS know that you want to explore your housing options by including a Home and Living goal in your NDIS plan. You do not need to wait for a plan review to add this goal, as long as you can work toward it using your existing funding. This can be done by calling the NDIS on 1800 800 110.
If you would like funding to be added to your plan specifically to explore a housing goal, you can submit both a “Home and Living Supporting Evidence Form” and a “Change of Situation or Details Form.” These forms let the NDIS know that you want to explore what kind of home might be right for you, and that you are seeking support to work through the process. If you would like help completing either of these forms, please give us a call.
Once you have Explore and Design funding in your plan, we can begin working together in a way that suits you. Please note that while some people do operate self-funded ILOs using core supports or other line items, we only deliver ILO supports where the NDIS has specifically funded ILO through the Home and Living pathway.
How We Can Work Together
Learning About You
The first step is taking time to understand who you are and what matters to you. We talk with you and the people who know you best to explore what a great home looks and feels like. This might include location, lifestyle, what needs to stay the same, what you want to change, and who you might want to live with. We also explore what makes a home feel special to you.
Understanding What You Want
Once we understand your vision, we look at the possible housing and support options. Our role is to help you identify an arrangement that fits who you are and how you want to live. There are no off-the-shelf solutions here. Our goal is to enable to you be able to say, “This is what I want.”
We also help translate your vision into something that fits within the NDIS context. This includes identifying how your ideal home aligns with Home and Living funding streams, and exploring what might already exist in the community or what needs to be created.
Getting What You Need
ILO supports can include help with personal care, managing your home, making day-to-day decisions, connecting with others, or having someone nearby to call if needed. Your plan may also include funding for training the people who support you.
The NDIS expects that informal supports such as family, friends or neighbours will continue to play a role, where appropriate. Our job is to help you balance those natural supports with formal ones, in a way that is sustainable and right for you.
The NDIS funds supports that are considered reasonable and necessary. When it comes to housing, strong supporting evidence is key. We can connect you with Allied Health professionals who are experienced in the Home and Living space and who know how to frame reports that speak clearly to the NDIS. If you already have therapists involved, we can support them to contribute effectively.
With a strong case and clear evidence, you will be better positioned you are to say to the NDIS, “This is what I need.”
Navigating the NDIS
Engaging with the NDIS can be challenging. We will support you to submit your evidence, prepare for planning meetings, and ensure your materials are reviewed by the right people. If issues arise, we will help you request a timely review.
Throughout the process, we stay by your side. You remain in control, supported to make informed decisions.
Finding the Right Home and Supports
Once the right funding is in your plan, we can begin turning your vision into reality using everything we have come to understand about you. This is the part of the journey where we move from imagining to doing. We draw on what we have learned about your values, routines, relationships, preferences and goals to explore real housing options in your local community. We begin speaking with providers, asking the right questions, and making sure that any option we explore reflects what matters most to you.
Unlike traditional models such as group homes, where people are often placed based on vacancies and what’s already available, this process is genuinely person-centred. It begins with who you are and what you want, not what the system happens to offer. Rather than being slotted into a generic arrangement, we work with you to shape something that feels like your own. Your home and support are designed to reflect your rhythms, preferences, relationships, and aspirations. We are here to make sure you are not pigeon-holed, but instead supported to create a living arrangement that is purposeful and flexible.
We also continue working closely with family members and others who support you, making sure their voices are part of the conversation, and that they feel informed and supported too. This is about making your vision real in a way that is sustainable, respectful and right for you.
