SugarshackSenior Contributor
NDIS and Shared Accomodation
Hello Sanesters I understand no one can give legal/professional advice but I seek advice on behalf of my brother who lives alone and receives NDIS.
Due to financial pressure he recently got 2x housemates in his house and, for the first time in 10 years my brother had companionship and friendship in his day to day life. I was so happy for him! He is a lovely person who has a few rough edges but, who doesn't? He has been isolated for nearly 20 years and when he got the housemates it was a wonderful day.
1. My brother got friends and extra income;
2. Two decent people got to move from a boarding house into a nicer house.
They have been there coming up 2 weeks.
But today, my brother's NDIS worker REFUSED to enter the house and took my brother out to the shops, where police were waiting.
The NDIS worker said it's "illegal" to have the housemates living there and that she won't enter the house if the housemates are living there. She gave my brother an ultimatum:
1. Evict the housemates IMMEDIATELY or lose access to NDIS in the house, they would only ever meet outside of the house AND he had to do formalised tenancies with each housemate; or
2. Evict the housemates within 7 days and that she would come back to working within the house, with my brother.
The reason that the NDIS worker gave is that it's a breach of her risk assessment/WHS to have housemates in the house. BUT...if it's a breach of risk assessments sure it's a simple matter of updating the risk assessment to include that there are other people in the house?
To me it sounds like there is something else involved and the point is "my brother is not allowed to have housemates, rent rooms or improve his own mental/financial health by having people living in the house".
Our mother is a HIGHLY CONTROLLING BPD/munchausens by proxy who, I knew would be absolutely seething to learn that my brother has increased independence and less financial dependence on her by having the housemates.
The whole story sounds very fishy to me and I think that our mother has talked to the NDIS worker and made false accusations against the housemates, then she has forced the NDIS worker to do the dirty work for her.
My mum has the classic mindset "If I can't have someone, no one can have that person" and she is highly controlling and dominating.
For example when I wanted to borrow her car to see if my partner at the time was cheating on me - she just said "he's definitely cheating on you, you can't borrow the car to verify it you just have to call him and dump him immediately, i know he's cheating on you".
Then last Christmas when everyone was happily unwrapping Christmas presents she started throwing a tantrum, having a little panic attack and saying loudly to my cousin.."Sugarshack's going to start screaming and yelling soon, then she's going to hit me. You know what she's like, she's really violent and out of control with her behaviour"....to which I calmly responded "Why are you saying I'm going to hit you? If I wanted to hit you I'd do it first thing when I got here not at Christmas Tree Time. Calm down, you're having a little turn and stop embarassing yourself in front of everyone" at which point SHE started screaming and yelling and walked out of Christmas right at the best bit when everyone's sitting together having a fun time.
So I would like insight from other people: ARE THERE RULES ABOUT HOUSEMATES AND NDIS WORKERS, OR DID MY MOTHER ENGINEER FURTHER CONTROL OVER MY BROTHERS LIFE, OR A COMBINATION OF BOTH?
Thankyou everyone as always for being there and the time taken to write out thoughtful responses 🙂