Red tape and errors leave homes for NDIS sitting empty

More than 3000 properties for Australians with disabilities are sitting empty while NDIS participants languish in hospitals, group homes or aged care centres awaiting tick-offs from the agency.

Excessive red tape, protracted planning decisions by the National Disability Insurance Agency and simple errors have led to about 3260 disability accessible properties sitting vacant.

More than 3000 properties for Australians with disabilities are sitting empty while NDIS participants languish in hospitals, group homes or aged care centres awaiting tick-offs from the agency.

Excessive red tape, protracted planning decisions by the National Disability Insurance Agency and simple errors have led to participants waiting an average 125 days for decisions on Specialist Disability Accommodation, with the government acknowledging the process of getting into independent living was not working for many on the scheme.

It follows revelations that NDIS participants were waiting an average five months in hospital despite being medically fit for discharge, taking up more than 1000 sickbeds and costing taxpayers up to $1bn a year.

NDIS Minister Bill Shorten said bureaucracy and housing availability were some of the main challenges behind getting participants out of hospital.

NDIS Minister Bill Shorten. Picture: Alison Wynd

But according to an analysis of figures from the Housing Hub – a platform run by not-for-profit ­organisation Summer Foundation that advertises accommodation suitable for disabled Australians – about 3260 disability accessible properties are vacant.

This includes more than 2000 SDA places, which refers to accommodation that receives special funding from the NDIS and is for participants who have extreme functional and high support needs.

The backlog has prompted calls for more resources and staff to streamline the process, which comes as the Albanese government grapples with ensuring the “sustainability” of the NDIS that’s already expected to cost $8.8bn over the next four years than what was projected under the Coalition.

On top of those waiting to leave hospital, more than 3000 NDIS participants under 65 have been put in residential aged care homes.

Multiple sclerosis sufferer ­Vanessa O’Brien is an NDIS participant who was placed in aged care after leaving hospital in what was meant to be a temporary solution. She remained there for seven years.

After moving into a group home in 2019, Ms O’Brien applied for an SDA for which she was eventually approved, but has still not moved into. She has just one message for the government: “Get me the hell out of here”.

“I don’t belong here, I want to be independent,” Ms O’Brien said through the help of a microphone to amplify her voice. “I just want to be in my own apartment, I’d be happy there.”

Vanessa O’Brien, who has been waiting for disability accommodation for two years in Canberra. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Ms O’Brien was diagnosed with primary progressive multiple sclerosis at the age of 21, which is a neurodegenerative disease that interferes with the brain’s ability to control the body. She progressed into a wheelchair by 29, and in 2013 had her right leg amputated after having an accident at home.

Despite gaining approval for SDA funding in 2020, none of the supports Ms O’Brien would need to live there, such as equipment to help her move around the property, were adequately covered.

Ms O’Brien and her aunt Patricia Nash, who had been pushing for her niece to live independently for years, were told early this month that the original funding for the apartment had been slashed.

“Without telling us or any discussion, instead of increasing her core supports they decreased her SDA funding, which effectively stopped her from moving in,” Ms Nash said.

Ms O’Brien’s SDA funding was reduced from almost $95,000 to just over $43,000, with the NDIA confirming the decision was correct when contacted by Ms Nash.

However, when asked by The Australian why it slashed Ms O’Brien’s funding last week, the NDIA said it had made a mistake.

“The agency is contacting ­Vanessa to support her to access supports as soon as possible and to apologise for the error and any distress caused,” an NDIS spokesman said.

Summer Housing, launched by the Summer Foundation in 2017, confirmed the majority of vacancies in its properties had NDIS participants lined up and ready to go, but they were simply in a queue waiting for processing or for the proper supports to be included. A Summer Housing provider confirmed that of its 46 vacancies, 40 people had SDA approvals but were simply stuck waiting on final tick-offs.

A spokeswoman for Mr Shorten said reforms expected to follow a review of the scheme, launched earlier this month, would include “reviewing specialist disability ­accommodation pricing and reducing the backlog”. “There’s 550,000 people on the NDIS and while it works for some, it’s not working for others,” she said.

Summer Foundation chief executive and founder Di Winkler said it didn’t make sense to have such a “linear process” of SDA approvals followed by support approvals.

“You can’t have one without the other,” she said.

“There’s been talk from the agency about making all of these decisions at one point in time for at least the last year, this ‘streamlining’ of processes. But it’s not getting anywhere.”

Opposition NDIS spokesman Michael Sukkar said Mr Shorten had “recklessly” made promises to NDIS participants before the election, and “more action” was now needed from the government.