Activating the Home: From Four Walls to a Care Ecosystem

How Australian Homes Can Become the New Frontline of Health

Right now, most Australian homes the place of living, but from a healthcare perspective they are passive. They house people, but they don’t actively support them. Yet within a decade, we’ll need those same homes to become the frontline of care.

#SupportatHome is more than just funding reform. It’s the beginning of a new question: how do we activate homes to become safe, supportive, personalised and clinically credible care environments?

At Enviva, we believe activating a home requires three layers working together:

The environment. Physical modifications matter. Rails, ramps, bathroom supports, mobility aids—these are not “add-ons.” They are the foundation that transforms a home from a risk environment into a safe one.

Technology. Remote patient monitoring, connected devices, smart sensors, and ambient technologies allow homes to provide clinical visibility. Distributed technology infrastructure ensures homes are safely connected. They don’t replace clinicians, but they extend their reach into daily life.

Human connection. Carers, families, and community support provide the essential service layer. Technology without touch fails. Activation requires orchestration—people, processes, and devices working in harmony.

Why does this matter? Because Australia faces a demographic and economic challenge that can’t be solved by building more hospitals or aged care facilities. By 2050, 1 in 5 Australians will be over 65. Our health system is already under strain. The only scalable “infrastructure” we have is the housing stock we already live in. We simply won't build enough acute care and residential aged care beds.

But here’s the catch: activating homes isn’t just about putting in devices or aids. It requires rethinking how providers, funders, and regulators measure safety, quality, and outcomes. It means creating new governance models for distributed care. It means making sure homes are not just safe, but connected and responsive.

Enviva sees itself as the underdog in this mission. We’re not the biggest player, but we are laser-focused on making homes viable as healthcare environments. Our conviction is simple: every home can be a care ecosystem when activated with the right environment, technology, and people.

This is not just theory—it’s necessity. Hospitals cannot carry the weight of what’s coming. Homes must. And with the right activation, they can.

What would it take for you to consider a home a “safe care environment” equal to a hospital ward?