It’s an issue that’s not often well publicised, but the Royal Commission recently revealed the extent of the problem of young people living in aged care homes. As reported in The Guardian, as many as six young Australians are forced every day into a residential facility due to the lack of housing options with appropriate support. We take a look at one organisation that’s working to solve the problem.

The Summer Foundation has been operating for over 10 years, established by Occupational Therapist Dr Di Winkler who became frustrated by the lack of appropriate housing and support for young people with disability. 

The organisation sees the NDIS as a huge opportunity to work towards resolving the issue of young people in residential facilities – and their work involves improving NDIS access for clients, increasing the range of appropriate housing, and facilitating access to health services that support independent living within the community.

A Guide to Living More Independently

The Foundation has recently released a guide designed to support people in planning to move  out of residential aged care, a group home or even out of a parent’s home.

It’s one of a series of resources the organisation has released, and is divided into four parts; Thinking about moving, Planning your move, Making it happen and Moving checklist. It’s designed to support people with disability and complex support needs, their families and carers, as well as NDIS support coordinators and providers. The guide contains links to videos of people talking about their experiences of making the move to living independently and looks at the various forms of housing that might be suitable, including mainstream options and specialist disability accommodation.

Community support key to independent living

Crucial for a successful move to living independently is planning support for daily living and establishing the right support network. The Foundation suggests creating a network of supports to help you in different aspects of your life. Here at Mable, we work with NDIS participants who have used the platform to create a team of independent support workers who support them in different ways.

Our community of independent support workers is comprised of experienced disability support workers, registered nurses, allied health professionals and people offering social and domestic support to others in their local community.

If you’re interested in finding out what support is available in your community, search the profiles of independent support workers in your preferred area.