Learn how SDA housing works for NDIS participants with very high needs
Bulk-billed GP
Registered NDIS Provider
NDIS participants who have severe functional impairment and/or very high care needs may be eligible for funding to pay for specialist disability accommodation—also known as SDA.
SDA NDIS funding subsidises the cost of specially designed, highly accessible housing for people living with disability.
NDIS specialist disability accommodation might include a house, unit or other type of home. Depending on the needs of the resident, SDA homes can include features like wide doorways, ramps, level floors, hoists and smart technology.
While most people living in an SDA home also receive daily living supports, SDA funding only relates to the accommodation (sometimes called ‘the bricks and mortar’).
To receive support with things like personal care, community participation or medication management, NDIS SDA participants will need additional funding to specifically cover this.
Most people living in SDA accommodation have additional NDIS funding for their daily care needs. This will often be in the form of supported independent living (SIL) or independent living options (ILO) funding, but it varies for each participant.
Some SDA providers do offer both housing and supports. However, due to concerns around conflicts of interest, this is becoming less common than it was in the earlier years of the NDIS.
The 2023 NDIS Review recommended that SDA and living supports should be from separate providers. Therefore, we expect that in time, formal rules will be made that SDA services can only include accommodation.
At SeenCare, we specialise in providing home and living supports to NDIS participants with high medical needs.
We do not provide SDA accommodation. However, we do deliver direct care services to people living in SDA homes throughout Melbourne. Because our team is made up of specialist disability support workers, home nurses and bulk-billing GPs—we offer a level of care that few providers can match.
If you are an NDIS participant or SDA provider who wants to learn more about our unique model of integrated disability and healthcare supports, please contact us today.
Specialist disability accommodation NDIS can be classified into four types: Improved liveability, fully accessible, high physical support and robust.
We’ll briefly outline each type below. But if you have questions about which type might suit you best, please discuss with your support coordinator, planner or other trusted support person.
An SDA house designed for improved livability will include a range of features to make it easy to live in, understand and move around in. These features are designed for NDIS participants with sensory, intellectual or cognitive impairment
Some examples of improved livability features are:
A fully accessible SDA property includes a high level of access provisions for people with significant functional or physical impairment. A lot of participants who live in fully accessible SDA houses use a wheelchair or other mobility aid most of the time.
Fully accessible SDA features might include:
People with high physical support needs (such as using a hoist to move around or requiring an electric wheelchair) may qualify for high physical support specialist disability accommodation. These SDA homes include advanced physical access provisions for participants requiring very high levels of physical assistance.
A high physical support SDA house usually has:
Robust SDA housing has reasonable physical access provisions and is designed to be very strong and resilient. Robust SDA properties are for NDIS participants who may sometimes behave in a way that isn’t safe for themselves or other people who are around.
Robust SDA providers install features such as:
Only NDIS participants who have extremely high support needs are likely to be eligible for SDA funding. The NDIS describes such needs as “extreme functional impairment or very high needs.”
To access SDA funding, you will need to submit an NDIS applicationsubmit an NDIS application that details your need for home and living supports. The application should include evidence (like reports and assessments) from the professionals who provide you with regular medical care and support.
For the NDIS to include SDA funding in your plan, they must be convinced that it is a reasonable and necessary way to support you in reaching your goals. You may also need to explain why another type of support would not be more suitable than SDA.
Sometimes it can be difficult to tell the difference between SDA and SIL (supported independent living). This is because in reality, the living arrangements can look quite similar.
For example, an NDIS participant with SIL funding might live in a shared home operated by a SIL provider, with a relatively high level of supports available every day (sometimes 24/7). Furthermore, many people with SDA funding also receive SIL funding, which covers the cost of the care they need to live in SDA housing.
The main difference between SIL and SDA is that SIL only covers supports and SDA only covers housing.
Once you have SDA funding, the next step is to find a suitable SDA provider.
The easiest way to see your options is to use the SDA finder tool on the NDIS website.
The SDA finder allows you to search SDA providers by location (eg., SDA Victoria), SDA category, cost and more.
You can also ask people involved in your care, like support coordinators and service providers, to help with this process and give you advice.
As a specialist registered NDIS provider for participants with high medical needs, our focus at SeenCare is on the support needs of people living in SDA.
We deliver a range of NDIS services that participants in SDA housing often require, such as:
Because our team includes home nurses and bulk-billing GPs, we can also help with medical tasks and complex support needs, including:
We have good relationships with many providers of SDA housing in Melbourne. Therefore, if you choose SeenCare as your service provider, we can help connect you with an SDA organisation that can meet your needs.
For SDA housing providers in Melbourne, we can offer completely integrated disability and medical supports to your residents. Because of our expertise with participants with high medical needs and complex care requirements, partnering with us will enable you to draw on a larger referral pool of participants to improve your occupancy rates.
To find out more please contact us today.
