Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) is one of the NDIS Home and Living supports. The SDA program was developed to encourage growth in housing supply (and investment in housing development) to add to the availability of suitable accommodation for people with disability.

Currently around 6% of NDIS participants have SDA funding in their plans.

Are you eligible?

SDA is for people living with extreme functional impairment and/or very high support needs.

Extreme functional impairment means a person needs support to:

– get in and out of bed;

– get dressed;

– move around;

– prepare meals;

– go into the community.

Very high support needs means one or more of the following applies:

– Informal supports such as family and friends cannot meet the person’s support needs;

OR

– The person has been in aged care or a group home for a long time;

OR

– The person may act in ways that put themselves and others at risk (eg. complex behaviour challenges).

You only need to demonstrate to the NDIS that you have extreme functional impairment or at least one of the items listed under very high support needs, although you may of course list more if they apply to you.

You also need to have a housing goal in your plan. This outlines what you want to happen with your accommodation, where you want to live and with how many people, and how you want to be supported. For more on housing goals and how to develop one, see Get Started.

Design categories and building types

The NDIS look at your individual needs to work out which design category and building type will suit you best.

There are 4 SDA design categories:

– Improved liveability – this includes housing with better physical access, and housing designed to suit to people with sensory or intellectual impairments (for example, living areas where support workers can see the person easily);

– Fully accessible – housing which has a high level of physical access features, for example, to suit someone who uses a wheelchair at home;

– Robust – strong and durable housing which is safe and sustainable, meaning less maintenance and repairs. This design may be suitable for people with complex and challenging behaviours;

– High physical support – housing with a high level of physical access features, such as ceiling hoists or home automation technology.

 The 4 building types for SDA are:

– apartments;

– duplexes, villas and townhouses;

– houses;

– group homes.

What is the process for applying for SDA?

Housing Goal

Make sure you have a housing goal in your plan. The goal must specify that you want to change your current housing situation, and can be submitted at plan review alongside your SDA application if you don’t already have a housing goal in your plan. Some examples of housing goals might be ‘I want to move out of my parents’ home’ or ‘I want to look at other housing options so I can live by myself.’

Evidence you (and your Support Coordinator) will need to collect:

– a Participant Housing Statement. This document outlines what your current living situation is, what your preferred living situation is, and how SDA will help you meet your housing goal. See Get Started for a link to a Participant Housing Statement template and more information.

– a Functional Capacity Assessment which addresses SDA eligibility rules, this is usually prepared by an Occupational Therapist, who needs to make recommendations which will help you to reach their goals, maximise your independence, while meeting the Reasonable and Necessary criteria.

– Other assessment or reports that may be useful include: a Behaviour Support Plan (especially if Robust SDA is being sought), reports from other allied health professionals, incident reports, and carer impact statements.

The  Support Coordinator should then consult with the NDIS participant to complete and NDIS Home and Living Supports form. If the SDA application is not happening at a regular scheduled plan review, then the Home and Living Supports form can be submitted at the same time as a change in circumstances form, and the documents above can be collated whilst waiting for a plan review date. It can take several months to collect the documents necessary for a successful SDA application.

The decision on whether or not to approve your SDA application is made by the Home and Living Panel. They need to determine that SDA is ‘reasonable and necessary’ before they will fund it in a plan. They will contact you about their decision. They may contact initially over the phone, but they must also give the decision in writing, and include details about design category, building type, number of rooms and residents, location and amount funded for.

Assistive Technology (AT) may also need to be approved after the SDA decision has been made. This can take 2 -4 months. AT might include things like ceiling hoists or home automation which need to be funded separately through the person’s NDIS plan.

What’s next?

Look for your new home. You can create a Seeker profile on the Housing Hub website which will then send you listings that meet your criteria (ie. where you want to live, with whom and what design features you need). Check the details you have been funded for so that you are applying for the right type of property which will meet your needs.

As SDA is being rolled out, there is a shortage of homes in Tasmania, however new properties are being developed as builders and investors are attracted to the sector. At the moment, the majority of new or existing SDA dwellings are being reported by community organisations.*

*source: Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) – Supply in Australia, fourth edition, Summer Foundation Ltd, 2021.

Once you have found a home, you will be given a tenancy agreement to review and sign. Make sure that you understand the agreement before you sign it, you might like to ask a trusted family member or the person who supports you with decision-making to assist.

SDA is paid direct to your landlord by the NDIS, and usually people also have to pay a ‘reasonable rent contribution,’ which consist of 25% of your disability support pension, plus any Rent Assistance you receive from Centrelink.

Some people choose to build their own SDA property, and might use their SDA payments from the NDIS to pay off a mortgage.

It is important to remember that the NDIS will not pay your power, telephone and internet or water costs, as these are everyday living costs. There are other government and community services that may help with those costs. You can find out more about these in the Budgeting for Living Costs article, see Get Started for the link.