Empowering Independence Through Accessible Housing

Providing pathways to home ownership for people with intellectual disabilities.

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Project Independence is an innovative housing solution for people with an intellectual disability.

We prepare and empower people to achieve truly independent living within PI and in the broader community.
We provide a pathway to home ownership, allowing residents to gradually build equity in a property, using their Disability Support Pension.
Since its inception in 2014 Project Independence has built 30 homes, with new developments underway in capital cities across Australia.

We provide a tested, scalable and shovel-ready formula making this a reality in Australia.

“People with disability have a fundamental human right to live in suitable housing and be connected to the community. They should be able to choose where they live, with whom they live, how they live, and who provides their support for daily living and community participation. Their home should provide safety and security, and be free from exposure to violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation.”

Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability: Final Report 2024, volume 7, page 354

Accommodation options are often of poor-quality providing no choice and throwing people together in crowded circumstances. Often setting the stage for isolation and abuse.

5 million

people in Australia have disability

781,850

have a mild/moderate intellectual disability and under 65

637

days average wait time for families with a disabled person needing public housing

45,000

extra people with a mild/moderate intellectual disability looking for accommodation within 5 years

0.1%

of rental listings nation-wide affordable and suitable for a single person on the Disability Support Pension

Source: Internal PI estimates, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, US sources various

Why Choose us?

Housing options for people with an intellectual disability

Illustration showing pathways from living 'At Home' to 'Independent Living' with intermediate housing options

At Project Independence, we believe that every person deserves the security of long-term affordable accommodation and a pathway to home ownership. That is why we have created a not-for-profit social enterprise dedicated to helping people living with an intellectual disability achieve this goal.

Return on Investment

A 2020 KPMG analysis of the Return On Investment (ROI) of Project Independence to government relative to three existing housing options available to people with an intellectual disability found: