2017-04-11 P&E Agenda Attachment 1 to Item 1 Housing Needs Assessment

developments depending on the number of storeys of the building (over three storeys), and
100% in aged persons’ housing. A small percentage may also be required in tourist
developments.

In Queensland the lack of State backing means that only incentives could be introduced to
encourage developers to provide adaptable housing. A target can be used to guide developer
decisions and influence negotiations with developers. The experience of Councils elsewhere has
been that adaptable dwellings have found a ready market and indeed have become a selling
point of developments where they have been used. However it is recognised that local factors
such as minimum floor height in flood affected areas like Noosaville requiring the habitable floor
to be raised; and in Noosa Heads the beach dune system meaning some buildings need to step
down a rise, can lead to difficulties in achieving a single storey living level let alone a continuous
path of travel from footpath to dwelling. This may limit the ability for developers to take up such
opportunities.

Housing for people with a disability under the NDIS
The Queenslanders with Disability Network, National Shelter and Griffith University (2016) report
suggests that while the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has brought attention to the
needs of people with a disability, housing has not been central to its priorities. Only around
28,000 or 6% of NDIS participants, most likely those with profound rather than moderate
disability, will be eligible for specialist disability accommodation funding (NDIS 2016). For singles,
this is 25 per cent of the basic rate of the Disability Support Pension (DSP) plus any
Commonwealth Rent Assistance (CRA).

From 1 July 2016, the responsibility for funding specialist disability accommodation (SDA) will
transition to the National Disability Insurance Scheme from the state and territory governments
(NDIS 2016). Specialist disability accommodation refers to accommodation that assists with the
delivery of support services for people with significant functional impairment and/or very high
support needs. It is classified using the Livable Housing Australia guidelines, plus additional
requirements as specified below:

SDA           Definition                                Minimum Requirements for New Builds
design
category


Basic         Housing without specialised design             Available for Existing Stock only.
              features but with other important
              SDA characteristics (e.g. location,
              privacy, shared supports).


Improved      Housing that has been designed to              Livable Housing Australia ‘Silver’ level
Livability    improve ‘Livability’ by incorporating
                                                             One or more ‘improved livability’ design
              a reasonable level of physical access
                                                              features such as luminance contrasts, improved
              and enhanced provision for people
                                                              wayfinding or lines of sight
              with sensory, intellectual or cognitive
              impairment.




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