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Community Living Initiative

A safe place of belonging for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples with a disability

Our Community Living Initiative provides culturally safe support and promotes opportunities for tenants to live a life of choice; connected with the things that are important to their identity and hold meaning for them. This service is currently available in Cairns.

Background

Our Community Living Initiative was specifically designed, with the intent of cultural safety integrated in the physical design, service model and delivery, workforce model, governance and systems of operation.

Our Cairns Community Living Initiative has eight units. The buildings physical space features areas that promote external living, external and internal cooking, yarning circles and a layering of private and public external spaces.

Aims of this Service

Our Community Living Initiative service aims to:

  • assist each person in focusing on their skills and strengths, with the facilitation of self-directed plans
  • coach/mentor individuals and people important to them, to take the lead in their life choices and supports
  • build on each person’s experiences of meaningful activities to expand their choices in regards to how they want to live with particular consideration given to social and emotional wellbeing
  • research and link with the local communities for each person based on what is most important to them
  • develop and strengthen each person’s natural supports and connection with their community
  • develop individual, family and community capacity to self-direct services where possible, built on meaningful community and cultural connections.
  • enable people to live in their own home, ensuring respect for each person’s right to decision making and self determination.

Cultural Guidance and Stewardship

The Synapse Community Living Initiative Service Model acknowledges community and cultural knowledge as the cornerstone of culturally informed support.

As such, through meaningful dialogue and capacity building, an independent mentor works together with tenants and staff to strengthen practice, community connections and resolve issues that may have the potential to create barriers to personal achievement.

The mentor remains independent of the support team and also provides valuable insights and learnings regarding the barriers and opportunities to improve cultural safety for the workforce and individuals receiving services. The continued focus on listening and responding to the grounded experiences of those connected to Synapse Cairns Community Living Initiative, are strengthened through the role of the mentor.