Suitable Homes is an advisory service provided by Housing New Zealand Corporation.

This service is for people with physical disabilities, so they can continue to live independently in a home modified to suit their needs.

If you live in New Zealand, have a long-term physical disability, and need structural modifications to your home, you will be eligible for the Suitable Homes service. You don't have to be a Housing NZ tenant (the house can be your own home or a private rental).

Suitable Homes provides advice to (a) help people with physical disabilities find homes that suit their needs, or that can be modified to meet their needs and (b) support people with disabilities who want to modify their existing home, whether it's their own or a rental.

While Suitable Homes can offer advice over the phone, if it's your first contact with the service, a meeting will be organised.

To make the most of the meeting, be prepared to talk about your household and any concerns or issues that your family or whanau have. The service will need to know about your current situation, difficulties you are having, the kind of home you need to live in independently, and what rent you can afford.

You will be asked about the other services or health professionals you work with, such as occupational therapists. You may need to provide proof that you and members of your household are New Zealand residents (such as passports, birth certificates, or letters from the NZ Immigration Service).

You can bring a family member, community worker or anyone else to support you at the meeting. You can ask that the meeting be held in your home if that suits you best. You can also bring an interpreter to the meeting or ask that one be provided.

If your home needs modifying, Housing New Zealand will arrange for an occupational therapist to assess the changes needed. It can help you prepare the modification plans and approach your landlord for approval if your home is rented privately. If you get approval and you're eligible for government assistance, the occupational therapist will apply to the Ministry of Health or ACC for funding.

As soon as approval is obtained, work can begin.

Typical modifications include:
• A level access shower
• An accessible toilet
• Ramps at entrances
• Widened doors/hallways
• Lowered kitchen benches

If you need to move house, the service will help you find the right home. If it's a private rental property, an occupational therapist will assess its suitability and advise on modifications needed. This assessment must be done before signing any tenancy agreement.

If it's a Housing New Zealand home, it will be held for you while it's being assessed. If it's private or council-owned, rent payments may be provided during this time.

The Suitable Homes service is free of charge, but does not provide funding for modifications (this comes from the Ministry of Health, ACC, or other sources). If you need modifications you can't afford, you will have to get funding from other agencies.

Suitable Homes can help with funding applications.

Suitable Homes offers other services to landlords and the disability community: advice, support, and advocacy services for people with physical disabilities; and free marketing for landlords with vacant modified properties.

If you have questions about Suitable Homes or other Housing New Zealand services, phone (0800) 801 601. Or learn more online at http://www.hnzc.co.nz