An Announcement from Good Housing CEO: Antony Anisse

Doing Good, Together

As our industry evolves to better meet the needs of the participants we support, I am proud to share an important announcement that will help safeguard the future of Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) and ensure individuals continue to receive the high-quality homes, care and certainty they deserve. This reflects a broader shift following the Royal Commission findings, towards clearer separation between Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) and Supported Independent Living (SIL) as best practice in supporting greater choice, control and safeguards for people with disability.

Today, MA Financial Group’s MA Good Housing Fund has formally acquired the St John of God Marillac SDA portfolio in Melbourne, with Good Housing taking on the role of SDA provider for these homes. St John of God Accord will continue providing SIL in the homes, delivering consistent, reliable day-to-day support for residents. This strategic step responds to evolving industry requirements and reflects best-practice sector standards.

As a market-leading SDA provider, Good Housing plays an active and important role in shaping the sector through responsible market stewardship, supported by a fully integrated approach across acquisition, development and operational SDA delivery. This holistic model allows us to support homes across their full lifecycle, ensuring consistency, quality and long-term sustainability in the delivery of SDA.

At the heart of this partnership is a steadfast focus on ensuring participants continue to have access to safe, high-quality homes that support their dignity, independence and long-term wellbeing. This transition has been approached with great care and consideration by both organisations, with a strong focus on prioritising continuity, confidence and long-term housing outcomes for residents.

Importantly, this transition has also been carefully structured to support best-practice requirements under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and to reinforce a clear separation between housing and support. Under this model,Good Housing will focus on the long-term care and stewardship of both existing and future homes, while St John of God Accord will continue to deliver SIL services in line with its values and, most importantly, the choices of residents – ensuring continuity, dignity and quality of care.

As our organisation continues to grow and flourish, we approach this growth with a strong sense of responsibility for the long-term stewardship of the SDA market.Good Housing remains deeply committed to maintaining continuity of both housing and support, while recognising the trust placed not only in our existing portfolio of homes, but also in the St John of God Marillac portfolio, which supports more than 80 participants – a responsibility we take very seriously.

We arecommitted to ensuring consistency of care and continuity not only for theseresidents, but also for their families and caregivers alike.

It isnot just our hope; it is our guiding principle that every Australian, regardless of ability or background, has access to a place that feels like home. This new chapter reflects that commitment and the direction the sector is continuing to move towards.

It was this very need for certainty, dignity and appropriate housing that Good Housing was first founded to address, growing from lived experience and deep empathy informed by the challenges our own family members with autism, Down syndrome and cerebral palsy faced in accessing the right support provisions and appropriate specialist disability housing.

It isthis foundation of empathy, lived experience, and a steadfast commitment to ensuring all individuals are granted equitable access to appropriate housing that continues to shape our work and guide our decisions today.

Today, that foundation has grown into an organisation providing SDA for 104participants across Victoria and New South Wales. With the addition of this portfolio, approximately 200 SDA beds nearing completion, and a further 200 in the development pipeline, we are continuing to scale in line with sector demand and participants’ needs.

This growth is central to our mission of empowering extraordinary lives through modern, dignified housing – homes that support both physical and intellectual needs and that truly look and feel like home.

Delivering on this vision requires strong, values-aligned partnerships, and in this spirit, I would like to acknowledge MA Financial Group for their role in supporting this transition. As our valued capital partner, MA Financial understands the critical role of SDA funding in enabling the delivery of purpose-built housing that supports residents’ independence, privacy and quality of life.

Their contribution, including the establishment of the MA Good Housing Fund which provides investors with exposure to a diversified portfolio of SDA in key growth centres across Australia, reflects the growing importance of sophisticated capital that is not only focused on long-term investment outcomes but also committed to delivering meaningful social impact.

I would also like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank St John of God Health Care and the broader St John of God Accord team for working so closely alongside Good Housing to ensure this transition has been smooth, thoughtful and well supported for all involved. We recognise and deeply value the care, commitment and stewardship they have provided to residents over many years, and their continued partnership in supporting positive outcomes throughout this transition.

I also want to acknowledge the extraordinary collective effort of the Good Housing team in reaching this important milestone, with particular thanks to Kristy, Corey and the wider team for their dedication, care and leadership throughout this process. This has been a genuine whole-of-team effort, and I also want to recognise the continued work of our Victorian team as the transition moves forward and continues to drive positive outcomes for tenants.

Most importantly, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our tenants, who continue to place their trust in us and give us a reason for being every single day. It is their dignity, independence and quality of life that remains at the heart of everything we do, and it is with this same focus that we move forward together.

As we enter this next chapter, we remain committed to working closely with St John of God Health Care, St John of God Accord, residents, families and caregivers to ensure the transition continues to be smooth, well supported and carefully managed for everyone involved.

Thank you for being part of the Good Housing journey. Your trust and partnership continue to shape who we are and what we do, and we look forward to this next chapter together as we continue to empower extraordinary lives across Australia.

Antony Anisse
Chief Executive Officer
Good Housing