The Liberal National Government will invest an additional $100 million over two years to support senior Australians to remain living independently in their own homes.
The funding boost for providers of the $5.5 billion Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) will help grow five vital home services relied on by hundreds of thousands of people.
This is about giving senior Australians more certainty, more options and more independence.
The five CHSP services marked for growth include:
- Domestic assistance
- Meals
- Transport
- Home maintenance
- Home modifications
Our Government is committed to giving senior Australians as many choices as possible to remain living in the security of the homes they love, close to their families and connected with their communities.
Additional funding of $50 million per year will be offered to a targeted group of successful existing CHSP service providers to meet immediate growth needs over two years from 2018-19, with the first payments to providers in January 2019.
The CHSP delivers high-quality support services tailored to each person’s individual circumstances and preferences. There is a strong emphasis on helping maintain and restore the independence of senior Australians through wellness and rehabilitation support.
Approximately 1,600 CHSP providers deliver home services to around 800,000 clients across the nation.
The growth areas to be funded will include: Household jobs like cleaning and laundry; General repairs and care of homes and gardens; Modifications such as alarms, ramps and support rails; More transport for shopping and appointments; Meals at home and in community centres.
Our ageing population and the evolving needs and wishes of senior Australians are driving an increasing demand for home-based services.
The new CHSP funding builds on our Government’s record $5 billion aged care boost, announced in the 2018-19 Federal Budget, including the landmark More Choices For A Longer Life package, supporting people through better access to care, better quality of care and better ageing.
The CHSP is available to people aged 65 years and over, or 50 years and over for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
It also includes support services for prematurely aged people on low incomes who are 50 years or over and are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
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