This qualitative research arose from a need to better understand the nature and impact of supports provided to people with disability and complex needs living in permanent supportive housing (PSH), including National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) funding and services. 

This is a critical but under-researched area regarding service access and responsiveness at the intersection of homelessness, PSH models and disability. Congregate PSH models aim to offer in-house wraparound support; however, there is limited research on tenants’ experience of these services and how they do or do not support wellbeing, goals related to social and community inclusion, and stable tenancy. 

This report provides key findings and recommendations from interviews with 12 tenants with disabilities and complex needs living at Elizabeth Street Common Ground (ESCG) and with 6 Launch Housing and Unison Community Housing staff. ESCG is a mixed-tenancy site offering PSH to 65 tenants with histories of homelessness and complex needs and has 66 single tenancy studio apartments for affordable housing occupancy. The Common Ground model is an international approach and one type of mixed-tenancy PSH model which offers onsite support workers who provide services and coordinate other health or mental health support services for the tenants.