Summer Housing’s model is a contemporary one that brings accessible and affordable housing and support together with smart home technology to give individuals greater choice and control over how they live. The right housing and support in the right location can increase a person’s quality of life and independence, while reducing lifetime care costs.
While our housing projects focus on younger people in or at risk of admission to nursing homes, this model of housing and support is relevant to a much wider range of people with disability across Australia.
Summer Housing has a vision of increasing the scale of housing by commissioning 300 new dwellings designed for people with disability in key locations across Australia. This target supports only 5% of younger people in nursing homes across Australia that are in need of specialist housing to return to living within the community. Our aim is also to support the sector to build housing for the remaining 95% of younger people in residential aged care.
Over the next five years Summer Housing will:
- Identify compatible locations and developments
- Partner with government, private developers and community housing providers and other stakeholders to replicate the housing model demonstrated through our housing projects
- Utilise knowledge and experience in design and technology to create high quality housing that enables living with independence
- Share design and technology innovations with partners and other organisations
- Provide resources for other housing providers to encourage the development of more housing options
Smart home technology is a key feature of the housing projects. This technology enables tenants with significant physical disabilities to use a smart phone or tablet to open doors, open and close blinds, control the temperature and light switches. Communications technology enables tenants to contact staff when they need help, or in the event of an emergency. Tenants are able to maximise their independence and privacy while still having access to 24-hour support.
Summer Housing apartments are peppered throughout larger mainstream residential developments. An additional apartment on-site accommodates disability support workers.
The tenancies and properties are managed by a community housing organisation so that people with disability have the same tenancy rights as others within the community. A disability service organisation is appointed to provide tenants with the support they need for an initial period.
