Choice Collective
At Enliven Housing, our mission is to empower Australians with disability by providing opportunities for independent living. That’s why we’ve developed the Choice Collective, an inclusive, modern and forward-thinking approach designed so you can get the most from your National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) core support budget.
Your SDA Journey
What is Choice Collective?
The Choice Collective is a group made up of the tenants in an Enliven property who share onsite support. Together, you make decisions about your shared support: what’s shared, how it’s delivered and which Shared Onsite Support Provider delivers it.
Your Enliven Housing home is independent of your formal support arrangements. It’s not a Supported Independent Living home or a Group Home. Instead, we give you the opportunity to be part of the Choice Collective.
Every Enliven home where tenants share onsite support has a Choice Collective, including our apartments, villas and houses. Because each Collective chooses its own provider, the provider at one Enliven property may be different from another.
Advantages of the Choice Collective
Your Choice of Support Worker
You'll have the opportunity to provide feedback to influence your choice of support worker.
Cost Effective Support
By sharing supports, you can achieve more from your NDIS funding.
Emergency Support Available
In the unlikely event of an emergency, a support worker can be close to hand.
Overnight Support
By sharing supports, you could get overnight monitoring for peace of mind.
Supported by an independent Facilitator
Each Choice Collective is supported by a Choice Collective Facilitator from Enliven Community, a not-for-profit organisation that’s separate from Enliven Housing. Enliven Housing created Enliven Community to give tenants a stronger voice in their shared supports, and it has committed funding from the owners of Enliven properties
Your Facilitator helps your Collective come together and make informed decisions. They’re skilled in facilitation, experienced in working with different communication styles and knowledgeable about the NDIS. Your Collective has a confidential relationship with your Facilitator, separate from your housing and support providers, so you can share feedback with confidence.
The Collective, Enliven Housing and your shared support provider also agree on a Choice and Control Charter, which sets out how they’ll work together and what good support looks like for your home.
Independently evaluated
Enliven Community ran a National Pilot Project to trial facilitation in share homes and apartments. The Summer Foundation and La Trobe University’s independent evaluation found the model has the potential to give people greater influence over their support in shared settings. Participants reported feeling listened to, gaining insights about their rights and a stronger sense of community.
The NDIS Review’s Recommendation 8.4 describes this role as Shared Support Facilitation.
SDA Housing FAQs
What is Choice Collective?
Our Choice Collective model actively encourages and supports people with disabilities to have choice and control over issues that directly affect them.
We offer independent housing with the opportunity to have an Onsite Support Provider. Tenants who share onsite support are members of the Choice Collective, which operates for the benefit of everyone.
By sharing onsite support with the Choice Collective, we make privacy, autonomy and independence more achievable for everyone.
How does the Choice Collective work?
The Choice Collective operates with a single Onsite Support Provider based at the Hub. In the case of a new building, Enliven Housing selects the initial support provider. However, after the initial term, the Choice Collective decides on the support provider.
The Collective collaborates closely with the Onsite Support Provider to establish the framework for shared support arrangements.
We established the Collective to empower individuals to influence the intersection of their housing requirements and support arrangements.
Additionally, the Collective may explore collective purchasing, leveraging economies of scale for the benefit of each member. Some examples of potential collective purchases include:
- Internet services
- Pharmacy home deliveries
- Bundling utilities
- Additional shared support or activities
- Bulk purchase of groceries
What is the Support Hub?
The Hub is the designated space at each property where the onsite support staff are stationed, including at our houses and villas.
The Hub is easily accessible through the smart technology in your home, via your mobile phone or by visiting in person.
Enliven Housing enters into a Deed of Licence with the Onsite Support Provider, granting them permission for the use of the Hub.
Who decides who will provide onsite support?
The Choice Collective makes this decision.
Tenants moving into the property will jointly decide who provides onsite shared support, the extent to which supports will be shared, how they will be shared and how much each tenant will contribute to the arrangement.
Enliven will support the Collective in exploring the options available and in making formal arrangements.
What happens if I don't like the chosen Onsite Support Provider?
In the case of a new building, Enliven Housing selects the initial Onsite Support Provider. However, after the initial term, the performance of the chosen provider is assessed by the Choice Collective.
If there are performance shortfalls, efforts are made to address and manage them to ensure an improvement in service delivery.
Should this process prove ineffective, the Choice Collective has the authority to request Enliven Housing to explore and secure an alternative provider.
Can I arrange my own support instead?
Yes. Some Enliven properties are set up for Bring Your Own (BYO) support, where each tenant arranges their own provider. These homes don’t have a Choice Collective or Support Hub.
