Libby Ellis is Mable’s Lead Home and Living Consultant. Following her older brother’s experience of group homes, she has devoted herself to finding better solutions.

Securing the right home is a foundational need, yet for many individuals, the prospect of ‘getting started’ with independent living under the NDIS can be overwhelming.

Often, individuals are offered group or shared supported accommodation, which might not meet their needs. Additionally the majority of NDIS Participants must source housing the same way all Australians do presenting a significant systemic challenge.

I have been interested in what can be developed with NDIS Participants and those who care about them, which is within their control and strengthens their ability to be the authors of their own lives.

It excites me to have launched Mable Home and Living Consultants to assist individuals and their loved ones in understanding their options for living in a home of their choosing with the right kind of support for them.

At Mable, we want the starting point of NDIS Home and Living Consultants to look different. Often, the first step is understanding NDIS funding options and associated acronyms.

Knowing the criteria and what different funding means is really important, but we believe defining what ‘good’ living arrangements could look like should come first. What people imagine might work for them, and then what appears realistic, can often be two different things.

We support people with disability, their families and supporters to create personalised living arrangements by asking two important questions early on:

• What is going to be my version of home?
• What does ‘good’ look like for me?

We work with NDIS Participants to develop a strategy to achieve their independent living vision, ensuring the person is an active part of the decision-making process.

We can work with people to:

• Understand where they’re at now, especially in the NDIS process (often a major piece of the puzzle)
• Define where they want to get to and what good looks like for them
• Outline the support they will need. This may mean looking at how we think about 24/7 support
• Outline key barriers, risks and safeguards and identify what may need further assessment and supporting evidence
• Identify the NDIS pathway/s
• Work together to achieve those goals

A customer who found the journey complex and needed support is Sheridan. Sheridan is working with a Mable Home and Living consultant to find the best living arrangement for her son. Before connecting with Mable, Sheridan had already spent a year trying to find a better solution for her son who lives four hours away in legacy housing.

Together, we have been able to determine that her son is SDA eligible. Despite the potential difficulty of Sheridan living in a small town, we have engaged SDA providers and mapped out the kind of living arrangement and safeguards that would be best for him. We are also preparing for the plan reassessment meeting. We aim to partner with people on possibilities, even where the outcome may not be obvious at the beginning.

Find out more about Mable Home and Living Consultants or book a call.

Learn more about NDIS Home and Living Options in our dedicated Topic Library.