GLENN KEYS:
It is an honour to be here today. Thank you, Rhonda. I realise it is a complete sell-out so I realise the level of engagement for people who care about housing and understand the fundamental element that housing is in all of our lives. I would like to thank the NDIS for this opportunity to present and to reaffirm Rhonda's words that everything today is about options, different pathways. We all ended up in accommodation through different pathways, so creating more pathways for people with disability to get more in life out of their accommodation is critical.
I would also like to thank the people who did the Welcome to Country. We talked about a connection to land, and what we are all here for today is that connection to what our home is, and where we live and where we wish to live, and what we want.
What is Project Independence? It provides independent living and home ownership for people with a disability with preference given to people with an intellectual disability. It is a not-for-a profit organisation, and we are a registered community housing provider.
One of the key elements is providing home ownership, and how that works within the models that exist today. One of the key elements we looked at was, what is the basis we have to come up with to give the broadest access, particularly for people with an intellectual disability, and that was the Disability Support Pension. We use that as the basis for funding, to try to create a new pathway for not only just accommodation options, but home ownership options.
When you are a parent or carer, you ask three typical questions - where will the child live when I die? I still remember thinking that on the day Aaron was born. Will they be alone? We get terrible stories of people who have passed away in an apartment building, and nobody has known for days or weeks. That would tear any of us apart. Will they be safe?
The things we have heard out of the various royal commissions, it is critical. How did Project Independence start? My story - Aaron was born here in Melbourne with Down's syndrome. I was in the military at the time, and we had postings, we were in Queensland after that. Then we were due to be posted to a very remote location, and we decided that wasn't going to happen.
We would move somewhere where we could get the care we needed for Aaron.We moved to Canberra and have been there 20 years. He now works four days a week, has a girlfriend, just moved into a group house in North Canberra, built under the Gillard Government. We went there for a birthday party. It was really nice, light and open and airy - a studio apartment, he has his own bathroom. I chatted to one of the directors, and he said there were six. They were all full. I asked if many people had applied. There are 281.
I started to think about this. I said, "We should build more of these. We need this." I went away and looked at models, co-housing models in Canberra, and I started to look at models and think about it. I was still thinking down the traditional model of group housing.
We had just moved into a new house, and I said to my son, unpack a box. He said he was too busy. He said he was too busy designing a house he wanted to live in when he left home. It was like a slap in the face. So I thought, "We all own our own home, why shouldn't a person with an intellectual disability want to own their own home?" When I investigated, they have the lowest ownership rate in Australia.
So I said my team, "A slight change of plan - they are going to buy the house." They said it couldn't be done. After almost six years, we have developed 20 studio apartments in Canberra, another ten to be built in Phillip, south of Canberra. We have had a 75% purchase rate, all by people with an intellectual disability.
You are going to be swamped with information - this PowerPoint will be provided, and Rachael Waddington has a stand out here and 1 million business cards. Chat to her and she will send you the pack.
Ability to have control over the rights of entry and access, so that people can't enter your room when you don't want them to. You don't have to go through a central area of entry and departure.
Ability to save funds for a future purpose. We had one of the future tenants say, and he has been in group housing for the last six years, he said, "When I move into Project Independence, I will pick up my boxes and move on. His father had done the calculation - if he had been with Project Independence for six years, he would walk away with $56,000. It would allow him to move to the next level of accommodation.
Supported decision-making - we have a residents committee, and none of the carers organisations are on it. We want them to be able to talk about maintenance, any areas they may be concerned about.
Staged model of accommodation and growth. Shared housing… A lot of people get stuck in group or social housing and never leave. One of the residents moving into our houses had been in a group for six to seven years. So for him, the opportunity to own his own home, not share a toilet with three other guys who he doesn't like, it is a big deal. The most important thing is to be able to lock his own door.
We attended a convention for people with a disability. Multiple options for accommodation solutions, and removing people from the public housing waiting list if they have the ability to afford to buy their own home. So contentious, but as somebody who could afford one for my son, why should I be on the social housing list? Why should he be blocking it for some who can't?
We think that provides another channel for options.
As you can see here, to get to try independent living, where a lot of us would like to see our children or the people we care for, we see Project Independence as a stepping stone on the way. Because often the distance between living at home and independent living in a house or apartment is just too far.
The weekly funds contributed the equity that they will build up in this house. I liked to think the model of Project Independence is equity in ownership, which you would get out of a social housing model, but equity in producing the equity amongst people. People who can afford to buy, can buy and should buy. That introduces equity into the system.
Residents committee to support with decision-making. They have a kitchenette, courtyard, sufficient cupboard space, multiple entry points… An ordinary life in a supported environment, so that it doesn't need the NDIS to operate, and so people can use whatever of that package for support mechanisms in and around the environment, as any of us would around our own home.
They can choose to come in, and they can choose to leave, whenever they want. People who can afford their own housing do so.
We have got detailed selection criteria here. You can see we have gone to a lot of detail. We have taken a lot of models from other people about what to use for selection criteria. These are on the website with the application form.
Key points - 10% deposit. We thought this would be a challenge for some people. We ran a number of workshops and asked people if they could pay 10%, $20,000. A lot of people in Canberra mumbled, came back, said, "Yes, we can do that." They said they could do it to make sure their son or daughter had their own home.
70% of the money contributes towards equity. They must have a desire to live in the home.
What will they pay? Deposit, DSP, there is a try before you buy period. For the first year, if you don't like it, you can step out. If you want to stay on, you contribute towards it.
Once you have paid off the property, you only pay 50% of the DSP and the remainder is kept by yourself.
That is a pie chart, for anybody who is unsure of what it is. It shows you how the money flows down towards equity and payment. To make it reality, this is the Harrison development. You can see three houses. They all look like they are integrated with the community. There are no more than four residents under every roof. It is an integrated and home-style environment.
Lots of amenities which are all accessible. It is a gold standard in design. We have gone out of our way to produce conflict resolutions so that, if there is a problem, it is all sunshine and light today, but if it does not come out, we can engage, starting at the lowest possible level.
There are three times that we will be over the moon with this. The first is when we hand over the keys to the first resident, the second is when the next resident pays off the property and the company title that they will become part of one of the most exclusive groups in Australia, and the third will be when a resident walks up and says, "You know, this has been great but I am going to leave."
Then, we get to sell the property. It is a great contribution to independent living. People want a chance to do things that they never thought that they would do.
The bulk of the work has been pro bono, funded by the directors. We have had interest from around Australia and every state and territory. Rachel is there to help today but, as another pathway, we can give an opportunity for another person. Thank you very much.
(Applause)