More supported accommodation for people with disability
Bill Shorten,Jenny Macklin,Julia Gillard
posted Thursday, 29 July 2010
A re-elected Gillard Labor Government will establish a new capital fund to build innovative, community-based supported accommodation places for people with disability.
Federal Labor will provide capital grants to community organisations to construct up to 150 new supported accommodation or respite places.
For the first time, Federal Labor will be giving community organisations the opportunity to apply for direct capital funding from the Federal Government for supported accommodation.
Community organisations are uniquely placed to develop accommodation options that capitalise on local support and resources, and meet the needs of people with disability in an inventive way.
Projects could include a modern renovation of an existing home so it can be used for supported accommodation, pooled resources to build a contemporary facility close to community and health services, or expanding an established facility.
Extra accommodation places will help take pressure off ageing carers who currently have no certainty about what will happen to their children when they are too old to care for them.
Providing appropriate housing and care arrangements will also provide carers with opportunities to participate in work and the community.
Federal Labor has already made significant increases in investment in disability services including delivering more supported accommodation.
But the Gillard Labor Government understands that more needs to be done.
This is a modest addition to our existing investments, but it will make a real difference to the lives of up to 150 people with disability, their families and carers.
The grants will be distributed through a tender process to innovative, community-led projects.
Organisations will need to demonstrate they have secured ongoing funding for the places, for example from a State or Territory Government, or from alternate funding sources such as philanthropy, or ancillary business activities.
Successful projects will adhere to best practice service standards with accommodation places to be completed by 2014.
Non-government organisations, community organisations and State and Territory agencies will be encouraged to apply.
A total of $60 million will be provided over the next four years for this initiative.
Funding will be fully offset over the forward estimates, consistent with the Gillard Labor Government’s commitment to return the budget to surplus in three years.
This funding is on top of the more than $6 billion provided to the States and Territories over five years from 2009 through the National Disability Agreement.
The Federal Government also provided $100 million in capital funds in May 2008 for the States and Territories to build more than 300 supported accommodation places for people with a severe disability being looked after by ageing carers.
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