Recommendation 7.43 – A roadmap to phase out group homes within 15 years

What has been achieved to date

Governments have not yet commenced working together on this recommendation.

All governments remain committed to considering this recommendation further.

What the Disability Royal Commission said in the final report

Commissioners Bennett, Galbally, Mason and McEwin recommend the Australian Government and state and territory governments develop and implement a comprehensive roadmap to phase out group homes within the next 15 years. This roadmap should address delivering inclusive housing supply to meet demand, transition support for people with disability, and implementation planning for phasing out group homes. It should include:

a) delivery of inclusive housing supply to meet demand, by –

• undertaking a comprehensive assessment of existing service demand (including people with disability who are currently living in group homes and current unmet needs) and projected service demand (forecasted demand for supported accommodation over the next 30 years)
• assessing projected supply of alternative housing to inform planning for the transition of people out of group homes, including conducting a stocktake of existing disability housing assets that may be repurposed or used to increase the supply of inclusive housing
• piloting alternative housing models with increased investment to roll out successful models in line with supply and demand modelling to meet future housing needs for people with disability (see also Recommendation 7.42).

b) a review of the current Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) Pricing and Payments Framework to ensure it remains fit for purpose, focusing on ensuring that –

• a data-driven approach is used to direct investment where it has the greatest benefit for participants and the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)
• NDIS funding for specialist accommodation is directed to those participants with significant functional impairment or high support needs for whom specialised housing would deliver a measurable benefit
• the needs of people with disability for affordable and accessible housing are prioritised by state and territory governments
• prices are set to encourage development of best practice examples of SDA.

c) transition support for people currently living in group homes, including through –

• a transition pathway that provides access to advice, advocacy and support for people with disability to understand and explore their housing options, make decisions about transitioning to the housing of their choice, and receive support for that transition (see also Recommendation 7.42)
• interim improvements in group home oversight and practices to ensure that people with disability living in group homes are safe and have greater choice and control during this transition period (see also Recommendation 7.41)
• grandfathering arrangements for those people who wish to stay in their group home, including consideration of additional financial support to maintain financially viable group home arrangements where necessary

d) implementation planning undertaken through co-design with people with disability and the disability community, including –

• a specific timeframe for ceasing construction of any new group homes (within the next two years)
• a specific timeframe for ceasing placement of new residents in group homes (within five years)
• a specific timeframe for completing transition of those residents who wish to move from group homes to alternative housing options (within 15 years)
• development of an outcomes-based evaluation framework, tool and processes to track short-, medium- and long-term outcomes across the roadmap, and build an understanding of emerging best practice.

Joint Government response July 2024

The Australian Government and state and territory governments support the development of a diverse range of inclusive housing options for people with disability that support them to exercise choice and control over their living arrangements.

In January 2023, the NDIS Commission completed an own motion inquiry into aspects of supported accommodation in the NDIS. An Action Plan was developed in response to the inquiry, focusing on elevating the quality and safety of supported independent living (SIL) services; amplifying the voices of people with disability living in supported accommodation; and improving the NDIS to maximise the choice, control and experienced of participants living in supported accommodation – including the interaction between SIL and specialist disability accommodation (SDA). 
SDA is one of the supports that might be funded under the NDIS for some participants. SDA is a range of housing designed specifically for people with extreme functional impairment or very high needs.

The NDIA and states and territories have implemented a number of initiatives to support the phasing out of group homes enrolled as SDA (noting that not all people with disability residing in group homes receive SDA supports). For example, the NDIA no longer provides SDA payments for enrolled SDA properties with 11 or more residents and is progressively ceasing SDA payments for properties with 6 10 residents.

All governments will consider this recommendation further alongside recommendations of the NDIS Review, including Recommendations 8 and 9 of the NDIS Review and their associated actions.

More recommendations

View progress on other recommendations made by the Royal Commission.