Tasmania’s Disability Housing Demands Under the Spotlight
31 January 2014 at 2:21 pm
The housing needs and aspirations of people living with disability will be the focus of new research undertaken in Tasmania.
The State Minister for Human Services, Rebecca White, said Housing Tasmania would research future demand for social and affordable housing for clients of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
“We are responding to the needs of people living with disability following the launch of the ground-breaking Scheme,” White said.
“NDIS is about giving people with disability real choice and supporting their right to access services that are tailored to their individual needs.
“Understanding the housing needs and aspirations of NDIS clients will help us ensure that future investment in housing delivers what is wanted by our clients.
“We are proud to have worked with the previous Federal Government to introduce this ground-breaking reform which is making a remarkable difference in the lives of Tasmanians living with disability.”
On 1 July 2013, the State and Australian government jointly launched the first stage of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in Tasmania to support about 1,000 young people aged between 15 and 24 with a disability.
“The reform enables young Tasmanians with significant or permanent disability to choose the services they need, and how those services are delivered,” the Minister said.
Housing Tasmania – an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services – said it recognised that affordable, accessible and appropriate housing also played a key role in supporting people with a disability to live independently.
It said it would issue a Request for Quotations (RFQ) to undertake research about demand for social and affordable housing suitable for current and prospective NDIS clients in the State and how well they were meeting that demand.
