Housing (18 years +)
Table of Contents
Housing
Having a home is important to everyone. There are lots of different housing options. Some people choose to stay living at home with their family, but most people want to move into their own home at some stage. Some people live on their own, or with their friends or a partner. Some people live in supported accommodation. This section will talk about some of the different housing options available to people with disabilities and some useful tips when choosing your housing, and where you can get advice and support.
Housing & NDIS
There are lots of different ways that your NDIS plan can fund supports that give
you choice and control to live in housing that suits your needs. NDIS calls these
supports Individual Living Options (ILO’s). NDIS will not give you funding to
buy or rent a home, but can fund supports that help you live independently, like
support workers who visit you and help you with household tasks or personal
care (like getting dressed or showering), or support workers who help you do
tasks that help you to live independently like help with budgeting, meal planning
or going grocery shopping with you. ILO’s can also include things like home
modifications or assistive technology that helps you live independently, or
assistance with household chores like paying for a house cleaner or gardener.
Renting Privately
Housing and NDIS
There are lots of different ways that your NDIS plan can fund supports that give you choice and control to live in housing that suits your needs. NDIS calls these supports Individual Living Options (ILO’s). NDIS will not give you funding to buy or rent a home, but can fund supports that help you live independently, like support workers who visit you and help you with household tasks or personal care (like getting dressed or showering), or support workers who help you do tasks that help you to live independently like help with budgeting, meal planning or going grocery shopping with you. ILO’s can also include things like home modifications or assistive technology that helps you live independently, or assistance with household chores like paying for a house cleaner or gardener.
Individual Living Options (ILO’s):
- Living in your own home, with supports that suit your needs
- Living in shared accommodation (such as with friends or a partner), with supports that suit your needs
- Co-residency: a support person lives part time or full time in your home and gives you supports to live independently
- Host family: living in a support person’s home (sometimes their family lives there too), where they support you to live independently
- Home modifications or assistive technology to help you live independently
- If you have a microboard, you can get supports funded that help your microboard in supporting you to live independently.
More information about Individual Living Options (ILO) from the NDIS website:
NDIS Individualised Living Options
MySupports website: Individual Living Options
My Supports Individual Living Options
About Home Modifications and Assistive Technology funded by NDIS:
NDIS Providing Assistive Technology
Supported Independent Living
Another housing support NDIS can fund is Supported Independent Living (SIL). Supported Independent Living is more commonly known as living in a group home. This is where a few people with disabilities live together and get help from support workers to do everyday tasks. Some group homes will have support workers there all the time, and other group homes will only have support workers there some of the time. You can find more information about Supported Independent Living (SIL) on the NDIS website:
NDIS Supported Independent Living
Specialist Disability Accommodation
NDIS can also fund Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA). SDA is housing support for people with very complex and high support needs. More information about Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) is available on the NDIS website:
NDIS Supported Disability Accommodation
More NDIS housing resources:
To get funding for housing supports included in your NDIS Plan, you can talk to your Local Area Coordinator (LAC), or you can complete the ‘Supporting Evidence Form – Home and Living Request Form’ which is available on the NDIS website:
NDIS Home Living Supporting Evidence
WayHome is an online platform that helps people with disabilities to find individual housing options that suit them, such as finding a co-resident or host family, finding housemates for shared supported living, or finding Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA):
The Summer Foundation made this useful guide to housing and the NDIS in WA:
Public Housing
The Department of Housing makes some houses available for a lot cheaper than usual rental costs. This is called public housing. Most people know public housing as ‘Homeswest housing’. The amount you pay for a public housing property depends on your income. The most you have to pay is 25% of your income. For example, if your income is $400 a week, your weekly rental payment in a public housing property would be $100.
There is a long waiting list and sometimes people have to wait a year or longer to get a public housing property, so if you are interested in public housing, it’s a good idea to put your name on the waiting list as soon as you can. You might be able to get on the ‘Priority Assistance’ waiting list because of your disability, so make sure you ask. There are income limits and other rules to be able to get public housing, so for more information you can visit or contact your local Housing Authority office, or check out the Department of Housing website:
Public housing information for people with disabilities:
About the Priority Assistance waiting list:
Community Housing
Community housing is similar to public housing, except that the houses are owned and managed by organisations and charities instead of the Department of Housing. For more information you can visit or contact your local Housing Authority office, or check out the Department of Housing website:
Housing Authority offices in South-west WA:
Mandurah
1/17 Sholl St, Mandurah
Phone: (08) 9583 6100
Email: mandurah@communities.wa.gov.au
Bunbury
22 Forrest Avenue, Bunbury
Phone: (08) 9792 2111
Email: bunbury@communities.wa.gov.au
Busselton
88 Kent Street, Busselton
Phone: (08) 6277 3666
Email: busselton@communities.wa.gov.au
Manjimup
Unit 10, 30-32 Rose Street, Manjimup
Phone: (08) 9771 7800
Email: manjimup@communities.wa.gov.au
Albany
131 Aberdeen Street, Albany
Phone: (08) 9845 7144
Email: albany@communities.wa.gov.au
Buying Your Own Home
You might want to buy your own home. Buying a house can be expensive, so you will need to create a budget to see what you can afford. You can find out about making a budget in the ‘Money’ section of this booklet.
When you buy a house, usually you get a loan from the bank and pay it back over many years. The loan is called a mortgage. The bank will charge you fees on top of your loan repayments. This is called interest. Some other expenses that you have to pay on top of your loan repayments include:
• council rates: money you pay each year to cover the costs of things like rubbish and recycling bin collection
• water rates: money you pay the Water Corporation on top of your usual water bill costs
• home and contents insurance: money you pay to an insurance company in case your house is destroyed by a fire, or your house gets robbed. If this happens and you have insurance, the insurance company will give you money to replace what got destroyed or stolen.
• costs of any home repairs or maintenance, like fixing broken taps, and lawn mowing.
The Government has a few different ways to support you in buying a home. People with disabilities can apply for a Keystart Access Home Loan. Keystart is the Housing Authority’s home loan department. An Access Home Loan is a shared equity loan. Shared equity means that part of your home belongs to the Government, so your mortgage payments cost less than if you had to buy the house on your own. There are income limits and other rules for Access Home Loans, so you need to contact Keystart or visit their website for more information:
Keystart Loans
Level 3, 502 Hay Street, Subiaco WA
Phone: 1300 578 278
Email: info@keystart.com.au
Contact form: Keystart Contact
More about Access Home Loans:
Keystart Access Home Loan
First Home Owner's Grant (FHOG)
The Government helps people buy their first home with the First Home Owners Grant (FHOG). The FHOG is a payment of $10,000 given to people buying or building their first home. The house has to be new – you can’t get the FHOG for already-built houses. There are some rules about getting the FHOG, so check the First Home Owners Grant website: Dept of Finance First Home Owners Grant
The Department of Consumer Protection has created the ‘Home Buyer’s Survival Guide’ which is full of useful info and advice about buying your own home:
Commerce WA Home Buyers Guide
Emergency & Crisis Housing
If you don’t have anywhere safe to sleep at night and need help finding somewhere to stay, contact these emergency accommodation services:
EntryPoint Perth
Referrals to crisis and emergency accommodation services
Phone: (08) 6496 0001 or 1800 124 684
(Open Monday to Friday 9am to 7pm, Saturday 9am to 5pm)
Online registration form: Entry Point Perth Registration
Crisis Care
Phone: (08) 9223 1111
(Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week)
Country callers (free call): 1800 199 008
Homeless Advisory Service
Referrals to crisis accommodation services, and information about bond assistance and public housing.
Phone: 1800 065 892
(Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm)
AccordWest Busselton
Short-term emergency accommodation service
6/89 Duchess Street, Busselton
(08) 9722 9000
Accord West
Salvation Army Bunbury
Crisis and emergency accommodation service
Corner Bussell Highway and Timperley Road, Bunbury
Phone: (08) 9721 4519
Email: corps.bunbury@aus.salvationarmy.org
Salvation Army Crisis Centre Albany
Crisis accommodation service
155-160 North Road, Albany
Phone: (08) 9841 1068
Other Housing Resources
The Concessions WA website has a list of all the housing concessions available to people with a Pensioner Concession Card or Health Care Card:
Concessions WA Accommodation Housing
For some useful fact sheets or advice about renting and legal advice, check out the Circle Green Community Legal WA website: