Leaving a licensed boarding house: transcending trans-institutionalisation with person-centred transitions

Abstract

While de-institutionalisation set out with the laudable aim to improve the quality of life of people with disability, the untethering of accommodation from support services has in some cases led to less than desirable outcomes. Poor regulation of for-profit boarding houses licensed to care for people with disability has led to the exploitation and abuse of some of Australia’s most vulnerable and marginalised people. Recognition of this, and a number of other factors, has led to the closure of many of New South Wales’ licensed boarding houses. This research presents the experiences of 15 former residents of licensed boarding houses and their supporters spanning from their time as a resident, the transition to other accommodation and their quality of life post transition. While finding the transition challenging, almost all of the former residents identified improvements in their lives since leaving the boarding house.

Keywords:

• licensed boarding houses
• de-institutionalisation
• person-centred care
• trans-institutionalisation
• inclusive research

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by UnitingCare Disability [grant number 20311.64215]; University of Western Sydney [grant number 20311.80849].