More than $3 million in innovation housing projects, set to provide sustainable and long-term living arrangements for people with disability, have been opened for tender.
State Member for Morayfield, Mark Ryan MP, urged interested organisations to apply for the fourth round of funding under the Elderly Parent Care Innovation Initiative (EPCII), before 30 November 2015.
“This initiative offers long term sustainable living arrangements to assist elderly parents to secure accommodation for their adult son or daughter with disability when they can no longer care for them,” Mr Ryan said.
“One-off capital grants of up to $1 million and smaller grants up to $50,000 are available for projects that deliver flexible and innovative housing for people with disability who have ageing parent carers.”
Mr Ryan said the construction of the new premises could lead to greater job creation for local tradespeople and suppliers.
“The Queensland Government is committed to creating local jobs now and into the future,” he said.
“Under the EPCII model, we can expect that work will flow to both the construction sector and to the disability sector once the homes are complete.”
Disability Services Minister Coralee O’Rourke said under the EPCII model, the State Government worked in partnership with service providers to deliver more than $26 million worth of innovative projects throughout Queensland.
“EPCII is all about coming up with smart solutions to provide a sense of certainty for ageing parents who are worried about what will happen to their son or daughter with disability when they can no longer care for them,” Mrs O’Rourke said.
“Successful projects are already underway in Townsville, Bundaberg, Logan and the South Burnett, with more to follow in the Tablelands, North Brisbane and Toowoomba – just to name a few.
“the move to more independent living, being cared for by professional carers, will also help families prepare for the transition to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), which is due to roll out in Queensland from July 2016,” she said.
For more information about NDIS, disability support and services including the Elderly Parent Carer Innovation Initiative, visit http://www.disability.qld.gov.au/
