New Specialist Disability Accommodation coming to Coffs Harbour

New Northcott Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) is coming to Coffs Harbour. Our team in Coffs Harbour is expanding its disability housing options with new SDA properties opening soon in this beautiful coastal town.

Northcott has provided Supported Independent Living services in Coffs Harbour for several years, including at its first SDA property, where housemates Matt and Peter (pictured above) have formed a special friendship.

Northcott Coffs Harbour Area Manager, Ashton Gett says expanding Northcott’s housing options in Coffs Harbour aligns perfectly with Northcott’s purpose to build a genuinely inclusive society.

Ashton says living in SDA housing can improve the quality of life for a person with disability. Her customer Peter, who has Cerebral Palsy, is non-verbal and uses wheelchair, is a great example. 

For the past 20 years, Peter has lived in a group home in Hobart. While the care from support workers was always very good, his mother Wendy felt Peter had limited opportunities to get out in the community, engage with other people and make choices. He had also never had a good friend to spend time with.

Since moving into a Northcott home in Coffs Harbour to be closer to family, Wendy says Peter’s life has taken a whole new turn.

“First of all we have the climate. It’s mild – you wake up and see the sunshine. Peter can go out. Everything is so accessible here. He has an electric chair so he can move himself,” she says. “It’s a very different life up here. His horizons have just opened up so much.”

From her first encounter with Northcott, Wendy has been impressed by the level of support provided.

“There’s nothing lacking. The staff are responsive, they listen and are caring. They do everything they can to make any change necessary for Peter. Because I’ve known Peter so long, everyone at Northcott will listen to me.”

Wendy says Peter loved his new home straight away. However, it is seeing him build a friendship with his housemate Matt that has been extra special for her.

“Matt is just so caring. He’s always looking after Peter. He’s been such a faithful friend – Peter has never had anybody like that. It’s lovely to see. They enjoy going out for coffee in their electric wheelchairs,” she says. “I do think Peter feels happier here – he has choice and variety in his life now.”

Northcott’s new SDA homes in Coffs Harbour will provide functionality, accessibility and automation so residents can be more independent and require less support. Innovations such as home automation though voice and touch control allow residents to use their voice to control the blinds. Height adjustable benchtops mean residents can be in control of their meal preparation.