‘Something like this just doesn’t exist’: Independent, inclusive apartments for young people with disabilities

NDIS-participants offered Brisbane-first opportunity to live in specially designed apartments close to public transport and CBD.

Specialised housing for young people with disabilities can be notoriously difficult to come by in Brisbane, with NDIS reporting thousands of high-needs individuals inappropriately relegated to aged care facilities or suffering homelessness.

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Plans for the two buildings proposed for Windsor.

That may soon change in the inner-north suburb of Windsor, where support accommodation providers Adapt Housing submitted an application to construct 33 residential units uniquely designed to provide high levels of accessibility and support for persons aged between 18 and 65.

Adapt Housing chief operating officer Steve Dawson said there are 28,000 people eligible for specialised accommodation nationwide, with a nationwide shortfall of more than $6 billion.

“That’s about 12,000 dwellings or apartments that are needed to fit the current shortfall across Australia,” Mr Dawson said.

Plans show what the SDA-approved apartments are expected to look like.

The nine-storey building, located at 109 Victoria St, offers NDIS participants the opportunity to live in six one bedroom or ten two bedroom apartments, with a shared community space, proximity to public transport, and a health service planned for the adjacent building.

Plans also include space for two onsite overnight assistance rooms, two cafes, two allied health tenancies, and more than a dozen standard apartments, giving people with disabilities the opportunity to live in the same building as family and friends.

Development drawings show a sleek new building designed to accommodate NDIS-participants.

“Something like this just doesn’t exist,” Mr Dawson said.

“There are group homes, but a lot of people want to live with greater independence. They want their own apartment.”

Mr Dawson expects the apartments will appeal to young people in aged care, people exiting the hospital system after a significant injury, and people whose parents have passed away or are becoming too old to care for them independently.

The accessible and inclusive building designed for NDIS-participants and their friends and family.

“We’d love to see it moving ahead as soon as possible, we just wish it was built now because if it was we’d have people ready to move in tomorrow,” he said.

Stage one of the proposal found funding through charitable organisation Harmonious Earth Ltd., and as the venture is not for commercial gain it will therefore be eligible for a 50 per cent discount in fees from the Brisbane City Council.

Artist rendering of the proposed building.

The second stage of the plan, located at 182 Lutwyche Rd, will feature a seven-storey commercial building offering three food and beverage and retail tenancies and office spaces.

A mid block pedestrian arcade will provide easy access between the two buildings.

Stage one will include a multistorey inclusive apartment building, which will be adjoined to an office and retail space in the commercial building next door.

The buildings are designed by WMK Architecture and Elevation Architecture and aim to fit cohesively within the pre-existing streetscape, where there are a number of modern buildings of similar height.

The location of the proposed development.