The NDIS developed the Individual Living Option (ILO) to provide the support that allows you, as a participant, to choose where you live with the support that best meets your needs. An agreement from the ILO is about the support that can help you live in the home environment of your choice.

The ILO agreement does not give you your own home or help you pay for your own homes, such as rent or the mortgage you want to live under, but it helps you live in the environment that you and your friends want to live in.

Please click HERE to read the NDIS ILO Guidelines in full.
 

When the NDIA updated their pricing guidance in July 2020, it introduced two new items designed to introduce new options and alternative lifestyles for people with disabilities. This is the first time many members and programme providers have heard of NDIS individual living options in Melbourne (ILO), but for those in Victoria, the inclusion of independent living in the price guide is nothing new. That's because what the NDIA calls "individual living options" is now grounded in "supported personal living," - something that has been pioneered and researched in Melbourne for many years.
 

Caring Hearts will work with you to determine what you need to get started with NDIS Individual Living Options in Melbourne. We offer both exploration and design and implementation support as part of ILO. Our ILO services are currently available in Melbourne. We have developed a process to help ILO-interested people in Melbourne explore their options, and gather the information we need to begin the process of reviewing an ILO agreement.

Stage 1: Exploration and Design

First, this means we'll work with you, your family, and your friends to really understand where and how you want to live, your strengths, and what supports are right for you in your home.  CLICK HERE

We'll then design your unique plan together, using both paid and unpaid support, and recommend the best life choices for you.
Throughout this process, you will work with your own Design and Discovery Coordinator. It will take at least 3 months because it's important to get it right. So get started right away!

Stage 2: Implementation

Implementation, i.e., executing your plan to make it happen (or building it), will come next. We help you stabilise the home of your choice. Then, once you're there, keep testing to make sure it's working for you. If changes are needed, we can also work with you on those changes. We'll be there to follow you and support you every step of the way.

Who can I live with?

With our NDIS individual living options in Melbourne, you have complete control over who you live with. You may share a house with friends or roommates, or live alone. Here are some available options:
 

• Housemates

You can live with other people (housemates) who will take care of you, help you, and accompany you. Your housemate may receive a subsidy or pay rent.
 

• Mentors

You may want to stay in a home in which you've got a small crew of paid mentors whom you have selected to help you.
 

• Live Alone

You may prefer to live alone or with others and have the support of family and friends in addition to some flexibility.
 

A member of the Caring Heart ILO team will contact you with a letter outlining the steps you need to take to explore and develop your OIT agreement. Once signed, we will begin the evaluation process. NDIS Individualizing options in Melbourne is a time-consuming process. There is no quick deadline for developing a service proposal to submit to the NDIA for review and approval. This process usually takes a minimum of 3 months, sometimes longer, depending on the circumstances and information needed to develop a service proposal, which may also include time for the NDIA to review and evaluate the proposal.

• Host Arrangement: In a host arrangement, you reside full-time with a non-related person or family who offer a secure and hospitable home, along with the necessary support to meet your needs.
• Housemates/Co-Residents: With housemates or co-residents, you live full-time with individuals who provide both care and companionship to enhance your quality of life.
• Mentors: In this setup, a dedicated team of paid support workers provides exclusive direct and indirect support to you over an extended period of time.

We provide ILO services that are currently available in Melbourne, Victoria. And if we get requirements from other parts of Australia, we will definitely do it.

So Melbourne residents can contact Caring Hearts at 1800 844 995 to learn more about NDIS individual living options.