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

SDA            Definition                              Minimum Requirements for New Builds
design
category


All            Applicable to all categories.           In all cases, SDA should:
                                                              Ensure the property is designed and maintained
                                                               in a manner that is consistent with other
                                                               properties in the neighbourhood
                                                              Recognise the importance of outdoor areas and
                                                               allow for adequate land area commensurate
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                                                               with the number of residents in the household

Source: NDIS 2016;

Even to achieve this level of provision of suitable dwellings (28,000 dwellings), the NDIS is
developing special financial incentives for governments, organisations, and developers to
encourage investment. A decision paper published by the NDIS on pricing and payments for
specialist disability accommodation (NDIS 2016) suggests that in order to encourage the
provision of specialist disability accommodation, property owners will receive higher than regular
market yields.

Given the decision paper on pricing and payments was released on 1 June 2016, it is difficult to
predict the impact that this new policy will have on the delivery of accommodation for people
with severe disabilities.

A website article authored by a private consulting firm (Disability Services Consulting 2016)
responding to the draft position paper on pricing and payments for specialist disability
accommodation suggested that the risk of vacancy may dissuade investors from constructing
new dwellings.

It suggests that:

      Investors and providers will be thinking carefully about whether they want to develop housing
      with no guarantee that any NDIS participant will live in it. The NDIA has said that providers bear
      the risk of vacancies – and they estimate this ranges from 3-10% of a provider’s yearly income.
      This position will be a big concern to some providers. There is limited information available on
      the current state of how specialist disability housing works. Plus, the NDIS represents a
      transformational change in how disability housing works with new housing models and a new
      funding model from the NDIA. This market uncertainty may stop some developers and lenders
      from choosing to be part of such an uncertain venture – especially for specialized housing that
      can’t be easily re-sold in the private market. If that is the case, this would be an enormous loss,
      given that the people with disability who most need new housing options need specialised
      dwellings.

Housing for people with a disability not likely to be covered by the NDIS
National Disability Services (NDS) (Australia’s peak body for non-government disability service
organizations) is concerned that the housing barriers and undersupply faced by a much broader



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     It is noted that this may be difficult due to the above local factors. Council does not support benching a
whole site to create a level outdoor living area.




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