People with disability in the electorate of Flinders will benefit from $1 million in Commonwealth funding to support the development and upgrading of specialist accommodation.
Minister for Social Services, Christian Porter, said up to $10 million in Commonwealth
funding would be provided across Australia to support projects designed to provide
accommodation for people with a disability who are expected to be eligible for the
National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) into the future, but live outside the NDIS trial
sites.
“In Flinders, $1 million will be provided to the Uniting Church for a two story-four unit
development in Rosebud that will provide specialist accommodation for up to eight people with moderate to high support needs,” Minister Porter said.
Federal Member for Flinders, Greg Hunt, welcomed the Coalition’s commitment to address
short-term community need while the NDIS transition gets under way.
“This is a wonderful outcome for this organisation, and the people they support,” Mr Hunt
said.
“For almost 2,100 people with a disability in Flinders, the NDIS will bring a world of choice
and control, providing access to new and innovative supports and services that are right for
them.
“The NDIS is also expected to generate significant growth in investment and jobs. It is
estimated that up to 5,100 jobs in disability services will be created in the Flinders electorate
and surrounding areas when the scheme is fully rolled out from 2019-20.”
Minister Porter said the additional funding would assist people with a disability in Flinders
until the NDIS was fully rolled out.
“Through the NDIS Sector Development Fund’s Specialist Disability Accommodation
Initiative (SDAI), applications for funding were sought by the Department of Social Services
between December and February, inviting organisations to apply for top-up funding to
complete specialist disability housing projects that, without additional funding, would not
be completed,” Minister Porter said.
“These projects will assist many people with disabilities in Victoria – and of course, there
are flow on benefits to their families, friends and carers.”
SDAI funding is subject to agreement between the successful applicant and the Department
of Social Services.