Individualised Living Options (ILO)

Built around one person — you

Individualised Living Options starts from a different question than most housing supports. Not “which vacancy fits this person?” but “what would a good life look like for this person, and what living arrangement would make it possible?”

The answer is different every time. That’s the point.

What an ILO can look like

A host arrangement — you live with an individual or family who provides support as part of daily life, alongside formal supports. Something like a long-term homestay, with proper screening, agreements and oversight.

A co-resident arrangement — you share a home with someone who provides an agreed amount of support in exchange for reduced or free rent. Often a student, a friend, or someone from your existing network.

Living alone with support — your own place, with a combination of drop-in support, on-call backup, technology, and informal support from neighbours, family and friends.

A blend — most real ILOs are a mix, and they shift over time.

Two stages

Stage 1 — Exploration and Design. This is funded on its own and it’s the part people underestimate. Over several months we work with you to map what you want, what you can do, who’s already in your life, what support you’d need, and what could realistically be built. The output is a written ILO design proposal you take to the NDIA.

Stage 2 — Support Model. Once funded, we help put the arrangement together: finding and screening a host or co-resident, setting up agreements, arranging backup for when things go wrong, and reviewing it as life changes.

How it compares with other living arrangements

Most living supports assume the arrangement already exists and the person has to fit it. ILO starts with the person and designs the arrangement around them. It takes more design work upfront and depends more on relationships — but for the right person, it’s the difference between a placement and a home.

We’ll give you a straight answer about whether ILO is realistic in your situation, including when the honest answer is that another pathway fits better.

Building in resilience

The risk with a highly personal arrangement is what happens when it breaks — a host moves interstate, a friendship ends, a family member gets sick. Every ILO we design includes backup: who steps in, how quickly, and what the fallback looks like.

Designing for that from the start is the difference between an arrangement that lasts a decade and one that collapses in a year.