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Understanding SDA

Specialist Disability Accommodation is one of the most confusing parts of the NDIS, largely because it sounds like it covers your support and it doesn't. Here's what it is.

The short version

SDA Pays for the Building, Not the Help Inside It

SDA is NDIS funding for a home that's been purpose-built for people with extreme functional impairment or very high support needs. It covers the bricks: the wider doorways, the reinforced walls, the ceiling hoist, the backup power.

It does not pay for the people who help you. That's separate funding, and mixing the two up is the single most common reason people get stuck.

SDA: The Home

The physical dwelling and its accessible features. Paid to the provider who owns and maintains the building.

That's what we are.

SIL: The Support

Supported Independent Living: the staff who assist you day to day. Funded separately and delivered by a support provider you choose.

You pick them, not us.

Design categories

The Four Design Categories

Your plan funds one of four categories under the NDIS SDA Design Standard. They describe how the building is constructed, not how much help you receive. If you're not sure which one you're funded for, send us your plan and we'll check.

Robust

Built to take heavy use and be very hard to damage, using durable but unobtrusive materials. The aim is to reduce the chance of injury and keep noise from carrying to neighbours: secure, without feeling institutional.

See Robust homes Our Super Robust build

Suits people who

have complex behaviours that may cause harm to themselves, others or property.

Typically includes

  • Reinforced wall linings and fixtures
  • Laminated or toughened glazing
  • Acoustic treatment to limit neighbourhood disturbance
  • Secure external areas with safe egress

High Physical Support

The highest level of physical access provision, designed around participants who need substantial daily assistance and have significant medical support needs alongside it.

See High Physical Support homes

Suits people who

have the most significant physical and medical support needs.

Typically includes

  • Ceiling hoist provision
  • Emergency backup power
  • Emergency communication provision
  • Height-adjustable joinery and benches

Fully Accessible

A high level of physical access throughout, built so that someone with significant physical impairment can move through the whole home independently.

See Fully Accessible homes

Suits people who

have significant physical impairment and move independently.

Typically includes

  • Level, step-free entry
  • Wider doorways and corridors
  • Turning circles in key rooms
  • Roll-in shower and reachable fittings

Improved Liveability

Improved liveability for people with sensory, intellectual or cognitive impairment: a calmer, clearer environment, together with a reasonable level of physical access.

See Improved Liveability homes

Suits people who

have sensory, intellectual or cognitive impairment.

Typically includes

  • Good natural light and low-glare finishes
  • Improved acoustics
  • Clear sightlines and simple wayfinding
  • A reasonable level of physical access

Wording here follows the NDIS SDA Design Standard, which sets out 25 design elements, from pedestrian entry and doorways through to ceiling hoists, emergency power and fire-safe design. The full Standard is published at ndis.gov.au.

What you pay

Rent in an SDA Home Is Capped by a Formula

The NDIS pays your provider for the dwelling. You contribute rent (the Reasonable Rent Contribution) and there's a legal ceiling on it.

How the Maximum Is Worked Out

  • of the base rate of the Disability Support Pension
  • of the Pension Supplement (or the equivalent Youth Disability Supplement if you're under 21)
  • of any Commonwealth Rent Assistance you receive

That total is a cap, not a price. A provider can charge less, but never more. Current dollar figures are published in the NDIS SDA Pricing Arrangements and change on 20 March and 20 September each year, when the pension is indexed, so we've left the amount out here rather than post a number that goes stale.

Worth Knowing

A provider may charge the maximum Reasonable Rent Contribution (RRC) even if you don't receive the Disability Support Pension or Rent Assistance. Ask what the actual figure would be for you before you sign anything, with us or anyone else.

Getting it funded

How SDA Gets into a Plan

SDA is only funded for a small proportion of participants, and the evidence bar is high. Broadly, it runs like this.

  1. STEP 1

    Raise It at Your Plan Meeting

    Tell your planner that your current housing isn't working and that you want SDA considered.

  2. STEP 2

    Get the Evidence Together

    Usually a Housing and Living assessment plus an OT report setting out your functional impairment and support needs.

  3. STEP 3

    The NDIA Decides

    If approved, your plan states a design category, a building type and a location. That combination is what you can then look for.

  4. STEP 4

    Find a Home and Enrol

    Once you choose a home, the provider enrols the dwelling against your plan. We prepare that paperwork for you.

This is a general description, not advice about your situation. Your planner, support coordinator and OT are the people who can tell you where you actually stand. We're happy to look at a plan and say what we see.

Common questions

Questions We're Asked Most

What is SDA?
SDA stands for Specialist Disability Accommodation. It is housing for NDIS participants with extreme functional impairment or very high support needs. SDA homes contain accessible features that help participants live more independently, and allow other supports to be delivered better or more safely.
Am I able to access SDA?
To access SDA support you must have an extreme functional impairment or very high support needs. You also need to be eligible for, and receive, NDIS payments for your SDA.
How does SDA work?
People who reside in SDA are supported by the NDIS. The SDA payments form part of your NDIS plan if you are eligible to live in SDA, and your SDA landlord receives the funds directly.
How do I know what type of SDA I need?
Depending on your individual needs, our team can assign or customise your SDA home. Gathering all the relevant information about the participant is a crucial part of our process: send us your plan and we will work it through with you.
What if I am not eligible for the NDIS?
Get in touch with us and we will point you in the right direction for help qualifying.
What is the NDIS?
The NDIS was established following a 2010 Productivity Commission inquiry into disability care. The commission received more than 1,000 submissions from people with disability and the disability sector, and the message was clear: the existing system did not work. The scheme began trials in 2013 and rolled out nationwide from 2016.

Something not covered here? Call 1300 255 495 and you'll get a person.

Send Us Your Plan and We'll Read It

We'll tell you which design category it funds and whether anything we have would suit. If it wouldn't, we'll say so. That's faster than a waitlist.

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