Individual Living Options (ILOs)

ILO Training Webinar: ILO's and the NDIS - Buy Now

What is ILO or Individual Living Options under the NDIS?

Individual Living Options (ILO) are living arrangements that focus on the individual and is an innovative alternative to group home services.

It is designed to be an alternative to the SIL model, for participants with moderate to high support needs.

ILO's are focussed on working with the participant and their family to consider their needs and preferences and design a flexible package of supports. 

An ILO is built as a result of holistically considering each individual’s preferences, strengths, assets, support requirements, informal and community supports. 

An Individualised Living Option is not determined by the home ownership or leasing situation or eligibility for Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) funding. 

An Individualised Living Option is the support provided and not the accommodation or dwelling itself (i.e. not the bricks and mortar).

Implementation often happens in stages and an ILO package (in an NDIS plan) includes:

1. primary supports and
2. supplementary supports

It also includes a separate funded component titled "Exploration and Design" which funds a 'support coordinators (of sorts) to assist a participant in exploring the Individualised Living Options paradigm and design an option suitable for themselves.

Once established the living arrangement is closely monitored and fine-tuned.

The NDIA has looked closely at how Shared Lives Plus in the UK operates as inspiration for ILO.

What are the ILO Options?

The new NDIS Individual Living Options (ILOs) provide a range of exciting possibilities. Here are some example scenarios:

1. Hosts – living with a supporting family or individual in their home.
    
2. Co-residents – a support worker lives with a person needing support and receives free or discounted rent and provides support.
    
3. Living Together with a Supporting Friend – sharing with a friend who provides support.
    
4. Living Together, Sharing NDIS Participants – two or more NDIS participants live together and share supports, living how they want.
    
5. Living Together, Sharing NDIS Participants with Co-resident – as above, but a Co-resident lives in the house to provide additional support.
    
6. Living Together, Supporting Families – families who live with and provide support, but get additional assistance to make the arrangement sustainable.
    
7. Friendly Neighbours – a person who lives nearby and assists to build connections into the community.
    
8. Circle of Support – volunteers supporting a person with a disability to live more independently.

Who does ILO suit?

• Older children (over 18) looking to leave home
  People may be looking to become independent or live independently. They may have aging parents who are considering the future or they may have parents who have health issues.
   

• Moving out of Group Homes
  Living in larger groups may not suit all people and they may want to have more control over how and where they live.
  They may not be happy where they are and want to choose who they live with.
   

• Unsettled - looking for a place to call home
  Many people face moving around - often in temporary or emergency arrangements and are looking for a more permanent home where they can put down their roots and connect with their community. They are looking for their own place.They may be facing the threat of homelessness.
   

• Moving and life changes
  People may be moving to a new area as a result of changes in their situation or by choice.

How to decide if ILO is right for you?

There are 6 important ideas behind Shared Living that help make it a success. These are referred to as the 'Principles of Shared Living' or sometimes as the 'Principles of Creating Home'. 

For an ILO to be the best option for a person, it needs to support these principles.

The 6 Principles of Shared Living:

1. Belonging and connection – you have the right to build relationships and connect with other people
    
2. Independent living – you can live an ordinary life
    
3. Self-determination – you can be in control of your own life and make choices about how you live
    
4. Flexibility – you can decide how things should be done so they suit the way you want to live your life
    
5. Choice – you can choose where and how you live
    
6. Trust – you can be trusted as an equal partner in your relationships.

How does the NDIA fund ILOs?

These line items appear within the CORE: Assistance with Daily Living Support Category as:

Individualised Living Option – Exploration and Design

This is funded by the hour and is much the same as Support Coordination. It can be provided by a Support Coordinator or by an ILO Service Provider and assists the participant in the decision making, exploration and implementation of an ILO option. 

Individualised Living Option – Support Model

This component is made up of a personalised and detailed package of primary and supplementary home and living supports.

The package also includes resources for monitoring and redesign component which is used to ensure that the supports are delivered and the participant is happy and well supported.

We are eagerly awaiting more information about the funding bands that will be used when making this determination.

Read more about the funding for these component in the NDIS price guide.

How to include​ ILO in My NDIS Plan?

If a participant is looking to explore their home and living options, the NDIS recommends seeking an “Identifying Housing Solutions” package at a review (whether scheduled or unscheduled) as these processes naturally take time.

The planner’s role usually involves funding an amount of support coordination for the exploration of various living options.

Do I need any reports?

There are no mandated reports that must be submitted, however in a practical sense an up to date functional assessment and a clear explanation of the preferred home and living model vs other options would be useful. 

ILO Training Webinar

ILO's and the NDIS

After our last successful webinar "Disability Accommodation & the NDIS", our disability accommodation experts were overwhelmed with enquiries about Individual Living Options (ILOS) and the NDIS.

We have teamed up with My Supports - one of the very first ILO providers to deliver our first ILO Training Webinar 

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Resources:

• Individual Living Options
• My Supports ILO
• My Life, Your Life, Our Life - A guide to shared living (Easy English)
• My Life, Your Life, Our Life
• NDIS Support Catalogue 2020 - 2021 (at 3 June 2020)