This article covers

What is Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) funding?

Types of Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA Design Categories

Who is eligible for Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) funding in the NDIS?

How to apply for Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) NDIS funding

Are you, or the person you support, interested in moving to a home where you can enjoy more independence?

To move into a shared home with disability supports, you will need NDIS funding for home and living supports. One type of funding you will need is Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA). Not sure about SDA, if you would qualify, or whether it’s right for you or the person you care for?

Here, we explore how SDA funding works and how you can start your journey in finding the right home. Remember, at any point in your journey towards securing funding or finding a home, Scope is here to help answer any questions.

What is Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) funding?

Specialist disability accommodation (SDA) is a range of housing designed for people with extreme functional impairment or very high support needs. 

SDA dwellings have accessible features to help residents live more independently and allow other supports to be delivered better or more safely.

Your eligibility for SDA funding is assessed by the National Disability Insurance Agency and funding is allocated to your NDIS plan. The NDIA then pays this amount per year to your SDA provider as a contribution towards a bricks and mortar home for you to live in.

Types of Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA Design Categories)

There are four types of homes available with SDA funding, depending on your needs. These are known as Design Categories, and include:

1. Improved Liveability – this type of home must have a ‘reasonable’ level of physical access for people with sensory, intellectual, or cognitive impairment.
2. Fully Accessible – this type of home must have a ‘high’ level of physical access for people with significant physical impairment, including wheelchair accessibility in the bathroom, kitchen, and external areas.
3. High Physical Support – this type of home has a very high level of specialised design and physical access, for example ceiling hoists, assistive and communication technologies, and emergency power solutions.
4. Robust – this type of home needs good physical access, as well as extra safety features like retreat areas for participants and staff, and impact-resistant materials.

The NDIA will assess your SDA application and determine which category of home is right for you based on your individual support needs.

Who is eligible for Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) funding in the NDIS?

To qualify for SDA funding from the NDIS, you or the person you support, need to meet the legislative criteria outlined in the NDIS (SDA) Rules 2020. In summary, you will need to show the NDIA that:

• You have very high support needs or an extreme functional impairment.
  
  Very high support needs means that you have lived in SDA for extended periods, or have a very high need for person-to-person support for a significant part of the day which cannot be provided by your informal support network.
  
  Extreme functional impairment means an extreme reduced functional capacity in mobility, self-care and/or self-management, and you have a very high need for person-to-person supports even with assistive technology, equipment or home modifications.
  
• You meet the ‘SDA needs requirement’. This means that when compared to other supports alone, the combined SDA funding and other supports would be the most effective,  beneficial, and would best assist you to pursue your goals and aspirations.

You’ll usually show this by getting an SDA / Housing Assessment report from an occupational therapist. The report will show your support needs, your NDIS housing goals, and how SDA will best assist you.

In the report the occupational therapist will also recommend an SDA design category and the number of people you, or the person you care for, will live with. This report will be used by the NDIA to make a funding decision.

How to apply for Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) NDIS funding

Your first step in making an application is to get an SDA / Housing Assessment Report. Your occupational therapist will do a comprehensive assessment (which typically takes between 12 to 15 hours) to work out whether you’re eligible for funding and what type of home best suits your support needs.

If you are looking for an occupational therapist to do your SDA / Housing Assessment Report, Scope’s Therapy team can help. Contact us today to organise your Housing Assessment Report.

As well as the Housing Assessment Report from the occupational therapist, it’s a good idea to include additional supporting documents such as:

• A statement of support from a health provider – this could be your GP, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, speech pathologist, and any other allied health practitioner
• A Housing Plan to show that the funding is reasonable and necessary – this is another report done by your Support Coordinator or Occupational Therapist summing up your current living situation, what your needs are and what’s expected for your future home

Once you have all the documentation ready, you can apply to the NDIA. Your Support Coordinator should be able to help.

If you don’t have a Support Coordinator, you can complete the Home and Living Supporting Evidence Form and provide this, along with your supporting documents, to the NDIA. You can do this by email, postal mail, or in person at a Local Area Coordinator or NDIS office in your area.

While you wait for SDA funding

After you’ve applied to the NDIA for SDA funding, you can register your interest with us, and we’ll keep you updated about future home opportunities.

Whether you’re looking for a new build opportunity or prefer to move into existing disability accommodation, contact us and we’ll put you on our waitlist to get in touch if anything that suits your needs comes up.

I’m approved for SDA funding. What next?

If your application for SDA funding is approved by the NDIA, then it’s time to start looking for a house. Scope’s Vacancy Coordination Team can help you on this journey. Our team can:

• Provide options for SDA homes that match your needs
• Assist you or your support coordinator with the home application process
• Work together with SDA providers in your journey to finding the right home.

We’re here to support you and answer any questions you have along the way. Once your funding is approved, contact us and we would love to help you on your journey to a new home!

Want to find SDA accommodation vacancies near you?

Take a look at our current accommodation vacancies today.