Supported Living Fund for NSW

The discussion paper, A Supported Living Fund for NSW, is an initiative of Family Advocacy - you can download the document here.

Down Syndrome NSW has discussed supported living arrangements with many members over many years, individually and in group settings, and has presented the views of families to government at every opportunity. While a very welcome increase in funding for supported accommodation has materialised in the last 3 - 4 years, families remain frustrated that mechanisms to allows people with disabilities and their families to have more control over and input into supporting them to live away from the family home has not been developed.

This discussion paper raises most of those issues and proposes a solution that is in line with what many families would welcome. Its release is timed to maximise interest in the lead-up to the State election, and follows recent publicity of the no-win situations that families have found themselves in when they can and wish to contribute to their son or daughter's long term support outside of the existing ADHC controlled system of supported accommodation.

It is important to note the distinction that this document, and other Family Advocacy initiatives draw between "supported accommodation" and "supported living" .... it's a lot more than semantics.
And to note that this concept is separate from (although related to) concurrent campaigns for Self Directed Funding, and the campaign for a National Disability Insurance Scheme.