Housing for people with a disability
We aim to help people with a physical, intellectual, sensory or psychiatric disability which affects their housing need by:
- modifying public housing
- providing extra bedrooms for a live-in carer, or to store disability or medical equipment
- arranging individual tenancy agreements for people who are sharing housing so they can share support funding
- conducting occupational therapist assessments to help determine suitable housing
- considering other housing needs such as health and safety, independence and quality of life.
Home modifications for existing public housing tenants
Home modifications are available to help people with a disability living in public housing. They are also available if you live in public housing and need help to care for a household member with a disability, or if you are having difficulty with normal household activities—for example, using your bath or reaching high cupboards.
The types of home modifications available include:
- changes to bathroom, toilets and kitchens
- installation of ramps, grab rails and hand rails
- other modifications to suit your needs based on an occupational therapist assessment.
We will arrange for an occupational therapist to visit you at the public housing property and assess your health, safety and independence needs and we will contact you to talk about their recommendations. If the modifications are approved, we will let you know when the work will start.
If you need extensive modifications, we may need to temporarily re-house you until the work is finished.
Some public housing properties cannot be modified. If this happens, we will talk to you about other options such as transferring to a property that suits your housing needs.
Talk to your nearest Housing Service Centre or call 13QGOV (13 74 68) to discuss your housing needs. You may need to supply medical evidence.
Housing with shared support
Housing with shared support helps people with disability support needs to live in the community with ongoing support. This type of public housing helps groups of people with support needs to live together (or close to each other) so they can share services.
Eligibility for Public Housing with Shared Support
To be eligible to be a part of a shared support house you must:
- complete an individual Application for Housing Assistance form (PDF, 712KB) and be eligible for housing
- have a disability funding support package (approved by Disability Services)
- agree to enter into a public housing with shared support arrangement with the disability support agency
- agree to live together and/or in close proximity with other individuals in public housing for the purpose of sharing the support you will all receive.
Filling a vacancy in an existing Public Housing with Shared Support household
To be eligible to join an existing shared support household:
- you must be eligible for housing and for housing with shared support
- the disability support agency must agree you are suitable to fill the vacancy
- you must complete a successful trial period in the shared support house. A trial period is a set amount of time for you to try out the household to see if you fit in with the other household members. You do not pay rent during the trial period.
Support when applying for housing assistance
If you need help talking about your housing issues, you can bring a family member, friend, advocate or community worker to help you apply for housing assistance.
We can provide an interpreter or translation service if you need one.
If you are eligible for housing assistance, one of our occupational therapists may contact you to talk about your housing needs.
Pets and service animals
Please tell us if you need a pet or service animal to assist you with a disability or medical condition. You will need to supply evidence to support your request.
