Housing for People with an Acquired Brain or Spinal Injury: Mapping the Australian Funding Landscape

Abstract

This research aimed to synthesize housing supports funded by 20 major insurance-based schemes for Australians with an acquired brain injury (ABI) or spinal cord injury (SCI). Publicly available grey literature (i.e., primary information from respective scheme websites) was systematically reviewed and compared. There were notable differences between the different scheme types (disability vs. workers compensation schemes) and across different States. Collectively, scheme funding was more likely to be focused on housing infrastructure and service delivery, than on tenancy support. Australians who are least likely to benefit from the current funding context are those whose home cannot be reasonably modified, are wanting to build or purchase a new home, do not have suitable, alternative short- or long-term housing options if their current home is not feasible, require support to maintain occupancy of their home or financial assistance to move into a new home, may benefit from case management services, family supports, and assistance animals, and/or cannot afford their rent or home loan repayments. Several interactions, inconsistencies, contradictions, and gaps that warrant further attention were also revealed. This review has highlighted the need for policy makers to provide transparent information about housing entitlements for individuals with ABI or SCI, and their families. A unified, evidence-based framework to guide the funding of housing and housing support services may increase the consistency of interventions available to people with ABI or SCI and, therefore, improve outcomes.

Exploring the efficacy of housing alternatives for adults with an acquired brain or spinal injury: A systematic review

“…In Australia, there is an estimated unmet need for suitable, affordable housing for between 83 000 and 122 000 people with significant and lifelong disabilities (National Disability Services, 2018;Wiesel & Habibis, 2015). People with acquired brain injury (ABI) or spinal cord injury (SCI) feature in these estimates (Wright, Colley, Knudsen & Kendall, 2019;Wright, Muenchberger & Whitty, 2015). ABI and SCI are neurological conditions that are caused by a disruption in the structure or functioning of the central nervous system (CNS) (Janicki & Dalton, 2014).…”

“…Damage to the CNS can result in physical, cognitive, sensory, perceptual, communicative, and/or behavioural challenges (Wright et al, 2019). It has been estimated that as many as 24%-59% of individuals with SCI may have a co-occurring brain injury or other cognitive impairment (Hess, Marwitz & Kreutzer, 2003).…”

Audit of advertised housing and support vacancies for people with disabilities in Australia

“…NDIS SDA funding will only be available for a small subset of NDIS participants who experience the most extreme functional impairment, estimated at around 6 per cent of all participants (NDIA 2018b). A recent review of the Australian housing funding landscape has highlighted groups of Australians who experience disability who will be unlikely to receive housing and support benefits from the current funding context (Wright et al 2019). The findings from this current audit further highlight the increasing gap that will exist for those people not eligible for SDA or the NDIS, particularly when over half of all adverts audited listed a requirement for NDIS SDA payments in a person’s plan.…”

“…More recently, other organisations have developed forecasting to offer SDA market insights, estimate SDA demand and survey SDA developers nationally to understand developments underway (SGS Economics & Planning 2018; Social Ventures Australia 2019). In addition, mapping of the Australian housing funding landscape for people with disability has highlighted the need for policymakers to provide transparent information about housing entitlements for people with significant and permanent disability (Wright et al 2019). In November 2019, the NDIA provided greater guidance on SDA design standards and launched an SDA Innovation Plan (NDIS 2019b, 2019c).…”

Australian occupational therapists' knowledge of the purpose, scope, and funding of assistance dogs

“…In Australia, over four million people experience some form of disability, and another 22% have a long‐term health condition (Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS], 2019). Consequently, many individuals require a range of support needs across various life domains (Weiss & Burnham, 2015) and may receive funding from one of the 20 major Australian social and injury insurance schemes (Wright et al, 2019). In addition to human supports, aids, and equipment, assistance animals are becoming increasingly utilised to enhance independence and occupational performance (Crowe et al, 2014; Herlache‐Pretzer et al, 2017; Winkle et al, 2012).…”