Are you eligible for medium term accommodation?

Do you have a long-term home you will move into?

A long-term home is the home you expect to live in for the future, and it’s been confirmed you can live there.

For example, you might move to:

your own home, after your home modifications are finished
another home, such as a private rental property or social or community housing and you’re waiting on your disability related supports. These could be your home modifications or assistive technology, like a ceiling hoist
a home where you’ll start receiving supported independent living or individualised living options.

We don’t fund long-term rent or provide affordable housing.

If you need affordable housing or need help looking for a new home, there are housing services available for you in your state or territory. You can also talk to your local area coordinator or support coordinator for help to find housing in your area.

How do you show us your long-term home is confirmed?

You need to give us evidence your long-term home is confirmed. To do this, you can give us:

a letter from a service provider confirming an offer of accommodation and support
evidence that a request for home modifications is in progress. For example, a tradesperson is doing a report or negotiations over prices are happening.
a tenancy agreement offer from a rental agency or landlord, or a copy of your mortgage.

These are just some examples. If you’ve been offered a tenancy, but the property isn’t available yet, you’ll need to let us know the likely date you’ll move in.

When can you move into your long-term home?

We only fund medium term accommodation if you can’t move into your long-term home now because your disability supports aren’t ready.

For example, you might need medium term accommodation if you can’t move into your long-term home until:

your assistive technology is delivered and installed in your new home, like a ceiling hoist
you’ve been offered a place in a home where you’ll get supported independent living or individualised living options – for example, if you’re waiting for someone to move out of the home before you can move in.

You need to give us evidence of the date when you can move into your long-term home, generally within 90 days.

If you need support because of your disability to help you move home, let us know. Talk to your my NDIS contact or support coordinator to find out what NDIS supports we could fund to help you move.

Can you stay in your current accommodation while you wait for your long-term home?

We only fund medium term accommodation if you can’t stay in your current accommodation while waiting for your long-term home.

For example, you could give us evidence that:

you need to move out of your home while your home modifications are being completed
there’s been a breakdown in your supports, so you can’t live in your current home
you need to leave a residential facility, hospital, or custodial setting.

If you have a stable home now, we’d usually expect you can keep living there until you can move to your new home.

For example, if you’re living in your family home, it might be reasonable for you to keep living there until your new home is ready.

Examples

Example 1

Lee is 55 and wants to move from residential aged care into a home where he’ll be more independent.

Lee is eligible for specialist disability accommodation. He has a tenancy offer for a home he wants to move into, but it won’t be ready for him for another 2 months.

Lee gives us his tenancy offer as evidence of his confirmed long-term home.

Lee can’t stay in his current accommodation because it doesn’t meet his disability support needs.

Because Lee has a long-term home to move into, but he can’t move in yet and can’t stay in his current accommodation, he’s eligible for medium term accommodation.

Example 2

Nhung is living at home with her family. Her parents are happy to provide her support at the moment, but

Nhung is excited to move out and live in her own home. She’s eligible for specialist disability accommodation and will move into her new home in 2 months.

Nhung has a long-term home confirmed she can move into in 2 months. However, since she can stay in her current accommodation in the meantime, she isn’t eligible for medium term accommodation.

What if I am being discharged from hospital?

Medium term accommodation can help you move out of hospital sooner while you find your long-term home. If you’re being discharged from hospital and you’re eligible for specialist disability accommodation, supported independent living, independent living options, or home modifications, you can have funding for medium term accommodation added to your NDIS plan. You don’t need to have a confirmed long-term home.

If you need home and living supports added to your plan, NDIS health liaison officers and a hospital discharge team will work with you and your health treatment team to understand your disability support needs. They’ll identify the best home and living supports for you. They’ll also help you collect the evidence we need to make a decision about which home and living supports to include in your plan.

For more information about NDIS support for hospital discharge, go to Our Guideline – Mainstream and community supports.

What if I am being discharged from the justice system?

If you’re in a justice setting and your expected release is coming up soon, or you’re eligible for parole or on remand awaiting appropriate support in the community, we’ll meet with you to change your plan. This is so you have the NDIS supports you need when you’re released. Your support coordinator will work with the justice liaison officer to help you find the home and living supports that are right for you.

If you’re eligible for specialist disability accommodation and you’re being discharged from a justice setting, you can access medium term accommodation if you need to. You don’t need evidence of your long-term home. For example, we don’t need a tenancy agreement for specialist disability accommodation before you can access medium term accommodation.

Your support coordinator and justice liaison officer will also help you get the evidence we need to decide what home and living supports to include in your plan.

For more information about NDIS support for participants engaged with the Justice system see Our Guideline – Justice system.