Joint disability service providers House with No Steps (HWNS), The Tipping Foundation (TTF) and Victorian Person Centred Services Inc (VISTA) have announced that they are joining together to increase their impact in the lives of people with a disability across Australia.

As a combined national organisation focused on the human rights of people with a disability, HWNS, TTF and VISTA aim to help shape the new disability services market across Australia in the best interest of their customers and all people with a disability.

The target date that the merger will take effect is 1 March 2018, subject to member approval. The Inaugural Board has been selected. The Chair will be Candice Charles, current Chair of TTF. Richard Madden, currently Chair of HWNS will be Deputy Chair.

The CEO will be Andrew Richardson, the current CEO of HWNS. Graeme Kelly, the current CEO of TTF and VISTA, will be a senior executive and play a pivotal role in bringing the disability service providers together and developing a new strategy for the organisations.

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is creating exciting opportunities for disability service providers to meet the needs of people with a disability in new and better ways,” said Graeme Kelly.

“Each organisation has a proud history and vast experience with the NDIS. There are many synergies – we have shared values, we provide a broad range of services and we both have a commitment to empowering people with a disability.”

Andrew Richardson said, “This is a great step forward for our customers and also our staff. I am honoured to have been chosen to lead the merged organisation. We will continue to focus exclusively on serving and supporting people with a disability and upholding their human rights.”

“Together, we will help our customers flourish under the NDIS by providing consistent high quality services; attracting, developing and retaining the best staff; and investing in customer-centric technology and systems,” he said.

From the perspective of their customers, day one will look and feel the same – HWNS, TTF and VISTA will continue to operate under their existing brand names, and customers will be supported by the same staff in the same services.

“With each day, we will work in partnership with our customers and staff to further improve and refine our services as we strive to help more people with a disability live a great life,” said Andrew Richardson.