housing options Version 1
Support options for people with disability
www.dhcs.act.gov.au
Disability ACT Housing Options promotes planning sustainable housing, tenancy and support options for people with disability in Canberra
Using support options
‘Support options’ is a way to look at starting the balance of support to meet a person’s needs at the same time as encouraging the person to take part in their day-to-day life and community.
Support can be provided through a number of ways, such as:
§ direct support workers
§ peer support
§ formal volunteer
§ family or personal relationships
§ assistive technology
§ modification to a property
§ negotiated support from a housemate
Support options looks at a sliding scale of support rather than what you can do or can’t do.
People are encouraged to write what the person can do for themselves, where possible adaptation of a task is required and their direct support needs.
Picture: Independent, adaption or support
Support identifier
On the following pages there are some suggestions to help you think about your support needs and different ways to meet those needs.
You can use this as a starting point to talk with your family members, friends, community agency and Disability ACT.
www.dhcs.act.gov.au
Current supports
Support / What do I have now? / If I stopped using this - Why? /In-home support
Community access support
Respite
Tenancy or home ownership support
Accommodation support
Concessions and allowances
(eg. Centrelink assistance, taxi subsidy etc…)
Assistive technology
Home modifications
Family
Friends
Volunteer
Employment support
Education and training support
Health professionals
Guardianship and supported-decision making
OTHER
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WHAT REGULAR ACTIVITIES DO YOU PARTICIPATE IN ON A TYPICAL WEEK?Examples include employment, education, training, community access, artistic, voluntary, social, sport and recreation etc
/
Time
/ Mon / Tues / Wed / Thurs / Fri /Sat
/ Sun /6-7am
7-8
8-9
9-10
10-11
11-12
12-1
1-2pm
2-3
3-4
4-5
5-6
6-7
7-8
8-9
9-10
10+
Notes ______
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Things I need help with every day(for example - making meals) / Things I need support with at other times (for example – speaking up for change or going to the doctors)
Notes
______
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What is important?
What is important to you? / What is important for you?(for example health or communication) / What is currently working well for you? / What is currently not working for you?
Notes ______
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Disability ACT housing options framework
Disability ACT housing options uses a decision making framework to set out all the ways people have housing, tenancy and support options in Canberra. The framework is on the last page on this booklet. The support options from the housing options framework are:
Choose one or moreSupport from...
‘Natural relationships’
Peer support
Formal volunteers
Paid support workers providing ‘drop-in’ support
Paid workers providing residential part-time or full-time support
Some negotiated support by housemate
Assistive technology
Modifications to property
Table: Support options set out in housing options decision making framework
All support should encourage the person to take part in the activity and their life where ever possible. The first step is to identify what the person can do or is working on (no matter how small). Then you can identify parts that need support. Each support can show how to change the task or the place as a to support the person or there may be areas identified that require direct support.
Other ways to explain supports someone already has and support needs
· Learning plans showing skills the person is working on
· Photos of the person doing something
· Writing down the names of people in their family, friends and neighbours who offer support to them
· Reports and letters from professionals
Supported decision-making
Support options is a tool that is part of a move to from substitute decision-making to supported decision-making. This helps people with disability (particularly people with intellectual disability) to take supported and managed risks.
Supported decision-making aims to help a person understand information and make choices. It is important that a person does not lose their right to make decision because they may need help and so support must be given in a way that is respectful of person’s wishes. A person with disability can be vulnerable to abuse and supported decision-making is one way to protect against that.
Some things we need to consider in supported decision-making include:
· Lack of opportunity – it is hard to make ‘big’ decision when you don’t make day-to-day ones
· Every person has the right to make decisions and a responsibility to themselves and their community
· The person and the people supporting them need the chance to learn these skills
· Risk – finding the balance of protecting from mistakes versus being okay to make mistakes
· Knowing that unwise decision making is not unable to make a decision
· We are all interdependent – being self-determined does not mean that we do everything for ourselves or make complex decisions completely independently
www.dhcs.act.gov.au
Housing Options ACT
This table shows the areas of decision and influence in developing housing options for people. You can look at each column to see the range of options to think about.
Consider one (or more) response from each column. Those responses will be used to create an Individual Housing Options Plan.
Choose one / Choose one / Choose one or more / Choose one or more / Choose one / Choose one or moreProperty / Lives with... / Support from... / Decision Making / Management & administration by... / Financial arrangements
Private rental / Family (sibling) / ‘Natural relationships’ (for explanation see other Table) / Individual / Agency makes all decisions / Individual Support Package (ISP)
Occupancy agreement in accommodation support/group home / Family (my children) / Peer support / Circle of Support
/ Blended of agency and individual / family decisions
(eg. ‘brokerage’, hosted funding) / Consumer Direct funding
Social housing
(public housing with Housing ACT) / Domestic Partner (husband/wife) / Formal volunteers / Family / Individual/family makes all decisions / Compensation
Social Housing
(community housing with Housing ACT) / Friends - chosen to live with / Paid support workers providing ‘drop-in’ support / Incorporated Microboard / Self-funded
Private home ownership / Other people with disability matched by a service provider / Paid workers providing residential part-time or full-time support / Guardian / Special Disability Trust
Private ownership
(held in Special Disability Trust) / Host family / Some negotiated support by housemate / Service agency / Government allowances paid to the individual
Private ownership
(Held in Trust with Life Occupancy) / Self - but near others to share support / Assistive technology / Home and Community Care (HACC) funding
“Housemate” (with or without a disability) who offers some negotiated support / Modifications to property / Block Service Funding
Self (alone) / Block Service Funding - Host Agency
Disability ACT Housing Options Facilitator - Decision Making Tool VERSION 3 MARCH 2012 8