In April, we asked you to respond to our "Getting ready to move out of home" Members survey. You replied with comments on what you thought would help achieve success in moving out of home regarding supports, trial living arrangements, locations, and how to best ensure safety, supportive, accessible and inclusive environments. You voiced concerns and made suggestions about getting ready to move out of home and building life skills. We are here to help and share knowledge with you, as a person with a disability, and your families. We’re in the process of creating new workshops and resources in this area. In the meantime, we have several existing resources to help.

Getting ready to move out of home – survey results, and resources to help you now

Categorized in: Behaviour Support, Challenging Behaviour, Education, News & Info, Resources, Surveys, What We Do Posted on: Last updated on: Written by:

DDWA are aware that many young people with a disability and their families are looking for ways to build their skills, so they can move into a home of their own.

In April, we asked you to respond to our “Getting ready to move out of home” Members survey.

You replied with comments on what you thought would help achieve success in moving out of home regarding supports, trial living arrangements, locations, and how to best ensure safe, supportive, accessible and inclusive environments.  You also voiced some concerns and provided suggestions. In response, we have some existing resources that should help you now.

Here’s what you said:

Support

Everyone agrees that they’d like support to achieve success in moving out of home. Most of you would like one-on-one rather than small group support with life skills courses (e.g. meal preparation, budgeting, laundry) and daily living skills (e.g. shopping, transport, living with others).

Trial living arrangements

If you were able to have a trial for living arrangements away from home, the top three (most preferred) accommodation options that would work for you include:

  1. Short stay (e.g. 1 week)
  2. Living on your own with drop-in support, and
  3. Co-resident (with one other person).

Location

When asked where you would like these living arrangements to be located, your preferences were widespread across metro and regional – but that you’d like it to be located:

  • close to amenities like transport, shops, doctors, and family members, with security management around the house.

Safe, supportive, accessible and inclusive

We understand that a safe, supportive environment that has accessibility and is inclusive of people with a disability is important to you. This is true for independent living as well as group and shared living (the latter is not the preferred model for everyone).

Concerns

It’s also important to note that you have some concerns. For example, people need the choice of group supported independent living (SIL) housing because the alternative – one-person housing – is costly and lacks the social interaction element unless a person is taken out of the home by a support worker or group. As well, there is a perception that it takes a long time to organise independent living and there is a short supply of suitable housing options. On the other hand, some of you expressed concern with group housing for your family member with a disability because some individuals “would be very difficult to live with” for various reasons.

Suggestions

One respondent made some suggestions when trialling independent living before moving out, particularly if purchasing a home:

  • Include occupational therapist (OT) … for assessment and strategies.
  • Discover strengths and challenges and work on those skills prior to moving out.
  • Trial moving out on own with support and then move with friend with support to look at what works for individual.
  • Provide life skill support for the areas of deficit when setting up for the move out.

Advice and support

You also commented on the need for advice and support from a psychologist or psychiatrist on challenging behaviour or emotional regulation.

Existing resources to help you now:

DDWA is in the process of creating step-by-step ‘how to’ resources to cover the top items of concern and areas that you would most like to have support when you or someone you know with a disability is getting ready to move out of home. In response to the survey results (listed above), future DDWA resources will provide information on how to get the process moving; length of time it takes to set things up; tips on running your own home; other supports; and options that are supported by NDIS.

In the meantime, we have existing resources that contain elements of life skills topics and tips for different points of life to suit transitions, your needs and circumstances:

And for schools and community group homes, we deliver a four-part program for life skills: self-advocacy: https://ddwa.org.au/our-projects/my-life-keys-self-advocacy-project. You can share the link with your school’s teachers and administration or community coordinator – ask them to organise us to come out to present. Individuals, families and carers: please contact Theresa M. or Beth at DDWA to discuss options for delivery. Call Theresa M. or Beth at DDWA on (08) 9420 7203 or Email: theresa.mcdonnell@ddwa.org.au | beth.marchbank@ddwa.org.au

For information that is available now about housing options and services: