Housing Hub

The Hon. J.S. LEE (14:43): My question is to the Minister for Human Services about the Housing Hub. Can the minister please advise the council about the role of the Housing Hub in securing accommodation for people with disability in South Australia?

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (Minister for Human Services) (14:43): I thank the honourable member for her question and for her interest in this area. As the transition to the National Disability Insurance Scheme progresses, the need to bridge the gap between the role of Disability SA matching clients to accommodation and the future arrangements under the National Disability Insurance Scheme will be important.

Historically, the search for housing for people with disability was not often transparent, requiring specialist insider knowledge or the skills of a Disability SA case manager. NDIS reform has identified how important it is to modernise the housing search experience and empower people with disability to have choice and control over decisions about the type of home most suitable to them. In response, the Department of Human Services has collaborated with the Summer Foundation to deliver an interim option. Over the next six months, we will be working together to trial and adapt Summer Foundation's accommodation management tool, the Housing Hub.

The website will capture data on the number of visitors, the types of housing they search for, and additional information that participants provide through the website on their housing needs and preferences. The Summer Foundation will publish a summary of specialist disability accommodation (or SDA) insights from The Housing Hub towards the end of sponsorship. The Housing Hub is now live in South Australia. Disability and housing providers can list their vacancies free of charge for the six-month period.

Providers are able to independently manage their properties and inquiries, with the option to receive support from The Housing Hub team where required. Access to the site is always free for people with disability, who can apply for vacancies based on not only their needs but on their likes and interests. Once DHS sponsorship has ended, it will cost housing providers $120 for the first time they list each property and $50 to advertise the property for subsequent vacancies. This is less prohibitive than the price of listing vacancies on mainstream websites. The Summer Foundation will consider a pricing strategy for a premium matching service as the website develops.

I was very privileged to attend the launch of The Housing Hub on 9 October. It was attended by Mr Luke Bo'sher, who is well known within the disability community as somebody who has quite a great deal of expertise in the matters of housing for people with disabilities, having had a role nationally in advocating for younger people with disabilities to be appropriately accommodated rather than being accommodated in aged-care facilities. I would encourage anybody who is interested, whether they are a tenant or a prospective landlord wanting to list a property, to check it out at www.thehousinghub.org.au and they will find very user-friendly information with a range of facilities there.