Housing
Northcott Housing customer Vindya
Our third strategic priority area is Reach More. We will find ways to better meet the needs of people with disability. This includes continuing to evolve our services and forming partnerships and alliances. We will also harness technology and innovation to enhance customer experiences, outcomes and organisational efficiency.
Evolving our services and supports
We opened purpose-built disability housing in Taree in December 2024.
This innovative property is made up of two 3-bedroom units on the one block. In the first half of 2025, we supported three people with disability to move into the property. Read about how we are supporting Vindya settle into her new home here.
We also began to transition from larger-style disability homes to smaller, more manageable properties with no more than 3 bedrooms. Through partnerships, we have new developments in the pipeline or under consideration in several locations in Queensland. Additionally, there are plans to acquire properties in other areas to meet the needs of new and existing customers.
Clinical Services
We expanded our allied health support in Queensland to offer multidisciplinary therapy services to Australians aged 65 years and over.
We have partnered with aged care providers, Home Care Package coordinators, retirement villages and health organisations to deliver Aged Care therapy support. We aim to provide services that promote wellbeing, reablement and independence of older adults.
To support this growth, Northcott signed a two-year agreement with independent disability, mental health and aged care support agency, Allinto. Over the coming years, we plan to expand our aged care services into new regions.
This financial year, we expanded our telehealth therapy services to include the delivery of virtual Functional Capacity Assessments (FCA) for people with disability living in rural and remote locations.
We also opened an office in Bundaberg in Queensland to meet demand for therapy services in that region. Additionally, we expanded the outreach service we offer from Toowoomba, Queensland to visit communities including Mungundi, Gympie, St George and Ballina (NSW).
Functional Capacity Assessments are now available through our telehealth services.
We expanded our outreach
services from Toowoomba.
Aged Care therapy services are now available in Queensland.
Northcott Dieticians support children and adults with disability.
Early Years
A Child, Youth & Family Strategy was developed to better position Northcott for the rollout of Foundational Supports. This is also important in increasing our capacity to acquire early years and family support grant funding. The strategy is in line with our goal to deliver more non-NDIS services and supports.
Partnerships for shared goals
Winner of a 2024 Good Design Award
A Good Life
Our subsidiary, Northcott Innovation won a Good Design Award in 2024 for its ‘A Good Life’ visualisation tool. This helps people with disability have more choice and control over their daily activities.
Designed in collaboration with UTS School of Design and Parallel Lines, A Good Life is focused on the question, “Are we supporting you to have a good life?”. By visually representing different aspects and activities in someone’s life, the tool provides a clear understanding of a person’s lived experience. It enables users to better understand the balance between cost, complexity, risk and quality of life in support and care contexts.
The tool enables decision-makers to focus on quality of life so people with disability can lead richer, more rewarding lives.
To further enhance the tool, Northcott Innovation is testing it with customers living in a Northcott Supported Independent Living (SIL) home. Our view is to develop the tool to integrate with Northcott’s Active Support work.
Nest
7,855 people with disability seeking a home (up 13%)
4,004 carers/agents (up 9%)
2,326 housing suppliers (up 24%)
8,266 properties listed (up 38%)
Northcott Innovation’s home matching website, Nest, continued to grow in FY2024- 25. More people with disability, carers, agents and housing provider registered on the platform and more properties were listed.
Enhancements included geographic searching, suburb-based listings and improved property details, giving users better insights into dwelling types, facilities and local amenities.
Technology and innovation
Digital transformation
New customer management platform rolled out.
We completed the roll-out of a new connected IT system to manage all stages of a customer’s journey with Northcott. This is our biggest technology transformation. The new platform supports a simpler, more consistent experience for customers. We can also better manage relationships with customers, track goals and support needs and roster our staff to shifts – all in the one, connected system.
To support the roll-out, hundreds of hours of training were delivered, along with hundreds of pages of work instructions and guides. This also included specific training for frontline workers on how to use the new mobile Skedulo app. This tool helps them to manage their roster, sign in and out of shifts, complete shift notes and understand customer support needs.
As with all significant IT projects, implementation is just the first step. We are continuing to make improvements to the system to address issues and deliver enhanced capabilities.
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