Page 4728 - Week 12 - Thursday, 1 November 2018
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Housing ACT’s Occupational Therapists have accepted 57 referrals and undertaken 112 home visits.
The Government is continuing to focus on incorporating high standards of accessibility and adaptability as public housing grows and renews as part of the Public Housing Renewal Program and then as part of the Public Housing Asset Management Strategy.
Housing ACT makes provisions within its budget to prioritise the construction of public housing accommodation to meet the Class C adaptable housing standards. Adaptable housing ensures people of all ages and abilities can live within the home and it can be easily adapted to meet changing household needs without substantial modifications.
Class C housing must include all essential features of the Australian Standard for Adaptable Housing (AS4299-1995) and be certified by an independent accessibility consultant.
The Affordable Housing Innovation Fund provides funding to support innovative projects that aim to increase the supply of affordable housing for low income households. The 2018-19 Budget provided $500,000 for phase two projects under the Innovation Fund, of which $125,000 will be made available for project/s supporting increased accommodation suitable for people with a disability who are also part of a low income household. This program responds to the community engagement on the development of the new ACT Housing Strategy, which identified the need for more dedicated affordable housing for rent or for purchase that incorporated the highest levels of accessibility.
The Innovation Fund will seek expressions of interest from private or community sector participants to come forward with innovative solutions that not only incorporate high levels of accessible design, but will also enable better social inclusion, particularly for persons who may be currently housed in inappropriate accommodation.
In the 2018-19 ACT Budget $400,000 was set aside over two years for independent individual advocacy for people who require assistance to navigate the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Through a single select tender process ACT Disability, Aged and Carer Advocacy Service (ADACAS) and Advocacy for Inclusion (AFI) were each successful in receiving $200,000 over two years.
The ACT Government made an election commitment to create a new grants program to focus on greater inclusion of people with disability. The Disability Inclusion Grants program provides funding to the community to undertake activities and initiatives which enable greater inclusion.
Following the impressive response to the first round of Disability Inclusion Grants in 2017, the Government doubled the funding to $100,000 a year in the 2018-19 Budget. Improvements made to service provider facilities, community-based amenities, green spaces and small businesses through the Disability Inclusion Grants Program benefit all members of the community, including people with disability.
The 2018-19 Budget allocated funds to develop a Disability Justice Strategy to recognise and respond to the disadvantage that people with disability face when
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