Vision Australia Radio is proud to welcome Hearth Australia as a new sponsor, highlighting a shared commitment to supporting people living with disabilities to live independently and with dignity. Hearth Australia specialises in Supported Independent Living (SIL) and innovative housing solutions, providing tailored support to people with complex needs. Vision Australia Radio recently invited Justin Scanlon, chairman and CEO of Hearth Australia into our studios to learn more.
A Personal Journey Inspiring Change
Justin, shared how his personal experiences as a parent shaped the organisation’s mission.
“My son Tristan was born 18 years ago and he has complex needs,” Justin explained. “It was really Tristan's journey that impacted my career and my perspective on what’s possible within the disability sector.”
Frustrated by the lack of personalised, high-quality support available pre-NDIS, Justin set out to create a service that prioritises the people with lived experience of disability and their family. From Justin’s perspective: “All aspects of the sector needed to be reimagined… and there was no support worker matching,” he said. This commitment to improving services became the foundation for Hearth Australia.
Supported Independent Living and NDIS Funding
Supported Independent Living is designed for people who require daily, individualised support while living as independently as possible. Justin highlighted the complexity of navigating NDIS funding.
“Within the NDIS, only about 40,000 people will be eligible for Supported Independent Living, and of that, roughly 15,000 will be eligible for Supported Specialist Disability Accommodation,” he said.
SIL typically involves eight or more hours of personalised support per day, often in fully modified homes. Occupational therapists play a key role in assessing eligibility and preparing home and living applications. Justin emphasised, “If the evidence and the support is not adequate and you’re rejected by the Administrative Review Tribunal, then that’s it. There’s a lot at stake.” He also acknowledged the emotional burden for families: “Living in the world of disability, you’re generally time poor, very busy, and overloaded… it’s really important to find people to walk alongside you and support you through the process.”
Hearth Australia’s Approach
Hearth Australia provides flexible, high-quality support, combining SIL services with innovative housing solutions. Their work spans allied health, supported employment, and housing models such as Nesta, which supports people who require 24/7 care who do not have a suitable housing option.
“We work hard to understand the goals and passions of the people we support and connect them with the right solutions, whether that’s housing, support work, or employment opportunities,” Justin explained.
What’s Next
Looking ahead, Hearth Australia is collaborating with leading academics at Deakin and Monash universities and other sector experts to strengthen their model and develop best-practice solutions over the next few years.
“We’re really excited about supporting independent decision-making, making sure that particularly people who don’t use words to communicate have their wishes heard and that they are living in their best location and their best life,” Justin said.
The organisation is also focused on measuring outcomes. “We know that what we’re doing based on feedback from families is good, but we want to have that independently studied and measured so that not only we think that’s the case, but objectively it is,” he added.
For families and participants looking to explore SIL, Justin encourages starting early. “This is not necessarily a simple solution… but we’re trying to make the very complex as simple as possible and really walk alongside families and participants. What’s important is to get started today and start to build out a plan, because it’s a really important step for people to transition out of home and be supported 24/7, which then gives families an opportunity to pursue some of their personal goals as well.”
Welcoming a New Partner
Vision Australia Radio is thrilled to partner with Hearth Australia, reinforcing our shared commitment to inclusion, independence, and high-quality information for the disability community. For more information about Hearth Australia’s services and the Hearth Home Solution, visit hearthaustralia.com.au.
