Acknowledgements endorsements Background methodology executive Summary 11 Recommendations 22 Article — general obligations 38

Private Rental Housing and Home Ownership

356. 
     Most people with disability would prefer to live in their own homes rather than in supported accommodation or public and social housing.³⁶⁸ However, people with disability are less likely to be employed and more likely to rely solely on a government pension such as the Disability Support Pension (DSP) and therefore have a lower average income than people without disability. (See also Article 28) This lower income, combined with the need to purchase costly equipment, aids, other supports,³⁶⁹ health care costs,³⁷⁰ as well as the extra costs for internal and external housing modifications means that many people with disability do not have an adequate standard of living to be able to rent on the private market or to buy their own homes. (See also Article 28)
     
357. 
     The vast majority of private homes for rent or sale do not incorporate universal design elements and require significant modifications. State and Territory Governments do provide some home modification assistance but there is no guarantee that this assistance will be provided even if the eligibility criteria are met. There are long priority-based waiting lists with expectations that financial contributions will be made by people receiving assistance.³⁷¹
     
358. 
     36 percent of DSP recipients are homeowners, compared with 69.8 percent of the total population.³⁷² Low income home loans are inadequate as most people with disability will not meet strict eligibility requirements,³⁷³ and they also do not recognise the higher cost of living with disability.
     

Case Study

“I now use a wheelchair after becoming disabled by bone cancer. The Queensland Department of Housing has refused to provide a ramp for wheelchair access to my house. The front steps are only just over a metre high. I cannot leave the house and do so only to attend medical appointments and by using an ambulance.”³⁷⁴

Case Study

“I have a physical disability that makes it difficult to walk and climb stairs. I also have a vision impairment, dyslexia and obsessive compulsive disorder. I can’t live independently as it is too expensive to buy a place and put rails in and get a carer, so I rely on my parents. Even renting is difficult as you can’t make changes to make the house accessible. There are also no care facilities around where I live for young people, and if I lost my family support I would probably end up in a ‘mental institution’ or an aged care facility.”³⁷⁵