The Aurora Centre
56 The Terrace, PO Box 1556
Wellington
Phone: 04 916 3300; Fax: 04 918 0099
OIA#3620
Craig Nielsen
[FYI request #28449 email]
22 November 2024
Tēnā koe Craig
Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) request of 31 October 2024
, to
the Disability Support Services (DSS) unit. You sought:
Average cost for residential care/supported living for individuals over the age
of 21.
The average cost expended in the 2023/24 financial year to support an eligible
disabled person over 21 years of age receiving DSS funded residential and/or
supported living services is $77,261.
Please refer to Table 1 for a further breakdown of this information.
Table 1: Average cost expended in the 2023/24 financial year to support an eligible
disabled person over 21 years of age receiving DSS funded residential and/or
supported living services (excluding gst).
Type of DSS-funded support
Average cost per person
(2023/24)
Residential supports
$107,413
Supported living services
$15,821
Average across both support types
$77,261
Please note the following:
• The average cost of residential care is higher than the average cost of
supported living, which reflects a range of differences between the support
offered. Residential care involves providing support for people, with a primary
focus on doing things for them, and providing board (such as accommodation,
food, and utilities). Individuals who live in residential care are required to
contribute to board costs. In contrast, supported living has a primary focus on
supporting people to create plans for their lives and building up a person’s
capacity to do things for themselves. People in supported care are required to
fund board costs themselves, with any support required to carry out activities
funded separately.
• This average per-person expenditure excludes the costs of paying for
sleepover support staff as wel as additional funding to address pay equity for
support workers employed in these services. These particular costs are
funded separately and can’t be calculated on a per-person basis.
I trust this answers your query. If you wish to discuss this response with us, or if you
are seeking any further information, please contact
[Ministry for Disabled People request email].
Ngā mihi nui
Emma Williams
Manager, Ministerial and Executive Services
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