NEW PARTNERSHIP CREATES MORE OPTIONS FOR PEOPLE WITH
A DISABILITY

PNL and one of Queensland’s leading disability providers have joined forces to help address the chronic shortage of housing for people with disabilities in Toowoomba.

PNL Consulting and CPL – Choice, Passion, Life turned soil on the 1st of November 2018 on three new villas at 2 Phyllis Street, purpose built to enable people with disabilities to live independently with support. When complete, the villas will accommodate six people with disabilities.

PNL Consulting has been undertaking residential developments in Toowoomba for more than 20 years, however, for Director Philip Meyer, the move into disability housing was a relatively new venture.

“We have friends who work in disability support and one day started talking about the critical shortage of accommodation for people with a disability.  They encouraged us to investigate the situation,” he said.

“We spoke to a number of providers and people with a disability, and quickly realised that not only was there very little stock available but virtually no choice either.  All these stories helped us decide to commit to the construction of a small complex designed specifically for specialist disability accommodation.”

Tenants living within the complex will receive support services from CPL – Choice, Passion, Life.  CPL already supports more than 400 people living in Toowoomba through their in-home support, employment services, and therapy and recreational programs delivered from Scott Street.

Chief Executive Officer of CPL, Rhys Kennedy, said people with disabilities deserved to have the same housing choices as the rest of the community.

“The introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme has opened up choice and control for people with a disability over who provides them with the support they need to achieve their goals,” he said.

“Yet, when it comes to housing for people with complex support needs, there is very little choice.  In fact, quite often there is no choice.

“A recent study by the Summer Foundation found that the current supply of Specialist Disability Accommodation across Australia was unable to support anticipated demand created by the National Disability Insurance Scheme, with a shortfall of accommodation for around 10,500 Australia wide – 2,310 of those in Queensland.

“That’s more than 2,000 people with a disability unable to access any housing, let alone exercise choice in terms of location or standard of accommodation.  Every development like this – no matter how small – is helping to address that problem.”

The new Villas were designed by PNL in conjunction with architects and disability providers to deliver an outcome that combines spaciousness, convenience, liveability and privacy – alongside the practical amenities for people with disability including accessible bathrooms, height adjustable kitchen benches, and provision for automation and assistive technology.

“We are hoping that this development, in some small way, will make a difference to   some truly deserving people,” Mr Meyer said.

People interested in finding more out about tenancy options, should contact Melinda Edwards​, Vacancy Coordinator, CPL ‑ Choice, Passion, Life on 0436 668569 or Philip Meyer on 0408987006.

About CPL

• CPL – Choice, Passion, Life is a leading provider of integrated support, therapy and advice for people living with a disability and their families.   CPL works with people at every stage of their lives from diagnosis, early intervention and the school years, through to employment, independent living and into retirement.  CPL believes that given the right opportunities, people can grow beyond expectations and create amazing lives.
• We provide support to people in a variety of settings, including people’s homes, their local community, school and in our community hubs. We currently operate from more than 70 locations across Queensland and Northern New South Wales.
• In 2017/18, CPL provided more than 1.1 million hours of support to over 10,000 people and placed almost 1,600 people with a disability or barrier into sustainable employment.
• 2018 marks 70 years of CPL working alongside people with disabilities and their families throughout Queensland. This includes more than 57 years in Toowoomba.
• You can find out more about CPL cpl.org.au