"This place means a lot to me.
asserted
place → mean → me
It's a part of me that no one can take away," said the 47-year-old, who lives with a vision impairment and intellectual disability.
asserted
who → take → impairment
He's firm friends with the four men he's shared the house with for 12 years.
asserted
he → share → years
They all have similar disabilities and are of similar ages.
asserted
They → have → ages
Most evenings they settle in to watch TV together.
asserted
they → settle → TV
Friday nights they get takeaway and they visit their local milk bar on the weekends.
asserted
they → get → weekends
The home is run by St John of God Accord and is funded by each resident's National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) plan, which also pays for the support they receive to cook, get out into the community and have supervision overnight.
"
asserted
they → run → supervision
It's very warming, family-like and the staff do a good job here," Jason said.
asserted
Jason → do → job
The federal government is looking to reduce the cost of the NDIS by $36 billion over the next four years and disability advocates believe it's an opportunity to consider alternative living plans.
asserted
it → look → plans
The Disability Royal Commission heard evidence of violence, abuse and neglect in group homes.
asserted
Commission → hear → homes
In its final report, a majority of commissioners recommended group homes be phased out.
asserted
homes → recommend → commissioners
Professor Christine Bigby of LaTrobe University, who has worked in intellectual disability research for three decades, said group homes themselves are not the problem.
asserted
homes → work → decades
"Time and time again we come back to what's the housing model … and if we get that right, everything else will follow," she told 7.30.
asserted
she → come → 7.30
Within the NDIS, Supported Independent Living funding assists people with high significant needs living in accommodation settings, usually group homes.
asserted
funding → assist → settings
This form of support currently costs the scheme $16.6 billion a year, around 10 per cent of which pays for overnight stays.
asserted
cent → cost → stays
Advocates say alternative approaches to supported living could be cheaper and better for residents.
uncertain
approaches → say → residents
"There are people currently living in group homes that could be living more in the community and could be living more cost-effectively," said Jess Walker from the Summer Foundation, an advocacy body focused on alternative housing models.
uncertain
Walker → be → models
"Group homes ... have been the default option available for people with disability, and what we need to see is a growing of alternative options so people have choice about how and where they live.
asserted
they → need → choice
One of those options is a disability housing model called Individualised Living Arrangements (ILA).
asserted
One → call → options
It allows someone with mild to moderate support needs to achieve independence by living with a flatmate — not a carer — in a regular property in the community.
asserted
someone → allow → community
Meghan Kyne is one of nearly 500 Australians who have chosen the model.
asserted
who → choose → model
She lives with an intellectual disability, and speaks fondly of her flatmate Isabel Hankey, who she's been sharing a house with for the last three years.
asserted
she → live → years
"Isabel is a cool person and a wonderful person," Meghan said.
asserted
Meghan → say → ?
The two share the bills and chores, have long chats over dinner and look out for each other when they're unwell.
asserted
they → share → other
"[Meghan's] a really considerate housemate," Isabel said.
asserted
Isabel → say → ?
Isabel's rent is subsidised in exchange for this companionship, having someone in the house overnight and informal guidance such as prompts with daily tasks.
asserted
rent → subsidise → tasks
Meghan also has separate NDIS funding for support workers to assist her with other tasks, including preparing meals, doing laundry or grocery shopping.
asserted
workers → have → laundry
The arrangement has an added informal support benefit: all the people Meghan has gotten to know in the community check in on her and help her live an independent life.
asserted
her → have → life
Meghan's service provider says the average annual cost of the 21 homes it oversees is just less than $170,000.
asserted
it → say → homes
Housing arrangements like Meghan's are overseen by a service provider, which finds appropriate housemates using a rigorous vetting process involving police and other checks.
asserted
which → oversee → police
The provider also organises rental agreements and assigns a staff member to keep an eye on things.
asserted
provider → organise → things
Despite the cost benefit of the arrangement, the NDIS is funding fewer participants to take up what it calls "individualised living options" — down from 623 people in 2024 to 482 earlier this year.
asserted
it → fund → 482
In the first quarter of 2024-25, more than 1,600 people were given funding for the initial planning stages of the arrangement.
asserted
people → give → arrangement
But in the last quarter of 2025-26, funding to explore the model was given to only 338 people.
asserted
funding → explore → people
'Life-changing' flexibility
Katie Ferguson, who lives with a physical disability, has chosen to live on her own so she can manage her own schedule and decide who to have around her.
"When you live by yourself, you've got total freedom of when you work, when you come home, who you talk to," she said.
asserted
she → change → who
To make that possible, she uses a drop-in and on-call service run by not-for-profit Mobile Attendant Care Service (MACS).
asserted
she → make → Service
Every evening, support workers fan out across Brisbane and the Gold Coast to around 70 clients who only need assistance for between 15 minutes and an hour.
asserted
who → fan → minutes
They arrive at Ms Ferguson's home between 11pm and 1am so she can be hoisted into bed from her wheelchair.
asserted
she → arrive → wheelchair
Ms Ferguson also uses MACS in case she needs additional support during the night.
asserted
she → use → night
All up, it costs the NDIS about $51,000 a year.
asserted
it → cost → 51,000
…and 17 more, not listed.
The Aporia