It started with a saying that was all too familiar: “Geelong is kidding itself, it’s not really that accessible”.
But then Alison McLeod, who was working in the housing affordability space there and talking to social insurance organisations, asked herself: “Why not? Why couldn't it be?”.
McLeod joined an agency and got to work in the design space where she came to grips with the problems builders had as well, giving her an answer to how things could be resolved.
“I’m not a great bureaucrat—I’d rather get out and deliver,” McLeod said.
“Between the first two pandemic terms in Victoria, I stepped out and started InHab Australia and so the timing really couldn’t have been worse.
“But also it was critically important because it was a time when people with disability needed to be safely accommodated out of hospital settings, et cetera, to minimise risk.
“So we were just thrown in the deep end about sourcing accommodation in addition to their long-term outcomes, which is specialist disability accommodation.”
McLeod set up InHab Australia to address the exact pinch points that were leaving people across the board frustrated at how inaccessible a city could be for its residents trying to find places to live.
McLeod realised that the main issue was that investors avoided specialist disability accommodation because it was a risk.
Specialist disability accommodation requires taking on risk, being properly insured, having the right certification and being compliant with regulations and able to manage properties that often cater for varied needs.
Investors buying specialist disability accommodation units could not afford to take on this risk and developers found it hard to sell them while people were left looking for housing.
InHab solves that problem by stepping in to manage the property for an investor after they have bought it.
They take on the risk and property management and the issues of compliance and working with the NDIA to find residents and manage their needs.
This also then solves a problem for potential residents as it gives them just one place to enquire at to find a home that is suitable for them and one set of people to work with.
“I genuinely wake up every day and love my job,” McLeod said.
InHab Australia also gets involved in the design process of units as they are aware of what residents need and it helps developers sell their units.
The NDIA subsidises investors for each resident in the unit, creating a high return for them while mandating that residents never pay more than 25 per cent of their disability payment in rent.
It is a lucrative market for investors who have struggled to find a way to get involved without needing to be certified and insured as a provider with the NDIA.
McLeod will be part of a panel at the coming The Urban Developer Specialist Disability Accommodation vSummit on Thursday, September 15.
The vSummit will include more than 15 industry experts delivering insightful presentations, case studies and panel discussions delving into the latest research and perspective on the current state of the six-year old sector and its outlook for the future.
To register for the event, click here.
