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

Specialist disability accommodation is designed to be more accessible for you based on your disability related support needs. It assists you to live more independently in your home and allow your other supports to be delivered better or more safely. For example, you might need a home with reinforced ceilings so you can get a ceiling hoist installed. It doesn’t include the services or support you might get in your home that relate to your disability supports needs.

Providers need to be registered to offer specialist disability accommodation. Providers must have enrolled homes that meet the standards and requirements for specialist disability accommodation. We call these homes specialist disability accommodation dwellings.

To qualify for SDA funding from the NDIS, you need to meet the following criteria:

• You have very high support needs and an extreme functional impairment

• You can show that SDA will help you pursue your NDIS goals, provide opportunities to develop your skills, and deliver long-term benefits

You will need to demonstrate that your request for SDA funding is reasonable and necessary to help improve your independence, quality of life, and wellbeing.

You’ll usually show this through getting an occupational therapy assessment highlighting your NDIS housing goals, and how the ‘bricks and mortar’ home will prevent long-term health deterioration and assist in building your capacity.

To receive SDA funding, you must not only demonstrate to the NDIA that you require high-level support, but you must also emphasize that there are no other appropriate options available and be prepared to back this up in your planning meeting.

Make it clear to the Local Area Coordinator (LAC) that your primary goal is to live independently and that you will need SDA funding to do so.

Your first step is to get a 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.

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

The Activities of Daily Living (ADL) assessment, General Living Skills or Functional Capacity assessment, Balance and Mobility assessment.

A statement of support from a health provider is also beneficial – 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 are waiting for funding you can register your interest with us, and we’ll put you on our waitlist to get in touch if anything that suits your needs comes up.

Decisions on eligibility are usually made within 10 days of submitting your application. Because the evaluation is evidence-based, it is critical that you provide as much evidence to support your application as possible (for example, reports from allied health professionals, behavioural support plans, carer statements, and incident reports). If any additional information is required to make a decision, you will be contacted.

It’s also important to understand that even if you’re approved, it can take up to a year for SDA payments to be included in your plan. As a result, it is critical to apply for SDA funding as soon as possible, especially if your health is deteriorating.

If the NDIA determines that you are eligible for SDA payments, they will appear in your NDIS Plan as ‘capital support.’ There will be information describing the type of dwelling, the SDA housing design category, and the location funded by your Plan.

SDA Housing Vic Pty Ltd offers a range of SDA properties in prime locations through Victoria, designed with accessibility, comfort, and safety in mind. Our properties are equipped with the latest technology and amenities.

You can contact SDA Housing Vic Pty Ltd by phone, email, or through our website. Our team is always here to answer your questions and help you get started with our SDA services.

Improved Liveability

Housing with better physical access. It also has more features for people with sensory, intellectual or cognitive impairments. For example, you may need walls and floors that are very easy to see, living areas that mean your support workers can see you easily, or very few stairs in your home.

The design must meet the minimum requirements of Livable Housing Australia Silver Level. Improved Liveability SDA dwellings must also include one or more improved liveability design features suitable for the resident’s needs which may include elements such as luminance contrasts, improved wayfinding or lines of sight.

Fully Accessible

Housing with a high level of physical access features for people who have lots of physical challenges. For example, you need to use a manual or powered wheelchair at home, or can’t use steps.

They must meet a minimum standard of Livable Housing Australia Platinum Level and include features for improved accessibility both inside and out. The external doors and outdoor private areas must be accessible by wheelchair and the bathroom vanity and hand basin should be accessible in either a seated or standing position.

Robust

Housing that is very strong and durable, reducing the need for repairs and maintenance. The way it is built should make it safe for you and others. This type of design category may suit people who need help managing complex and challenging behaviours.

It must also be very resilient, to minimise risk to the participant and the community and reduce the likelihood of reactive maintenance. This includes secure windows, doors and external areas, high impact wall lining, fittings and fixtures such as blinds and door handles, soundproofing, and laminated glass.

High Physical Support

This Housing design category feature a high level of physical access provisions for people with significant physical impairment who require very high levels of support. High Physical Support housing includes all the requirements listed in the Fully Accessible design category, plus, structural provisions for ceiling hoists and 950mm clear opening width doors to all habitable rooms. They are also assistive technology ready, have heating, cooling and household communications technology and include emergency power solutions to cater for a minimum two-hour power outage if the welfare of residents is at risk.

You can choose who you live with. They may or may not be a NDIS participant. Your specialist disability accommodation provider will need to agree to your choice and we’ll need to be sure it isn’t a risk to your health or safety.

When we say live with, we mean someone who you live with full time.

People you may want to live with include:

• family members, including children

• partners

• friends

• another participant who is eligible for specialist disability accommodation

• another person who isn’t eligible for specialist disability accommodation.

We can only provide funding to people who are NDIS participants. The decision we make about your specialist disability accommodation supports is independent and separate from your choice of who you live with. If you share your home or bedroom with someone else, that person will need to cover their own costs, including rent. We’ll take this into account when we work out your specialist disability accommodation funding needs.

What if you want to share a bedroom with someone else?

If you want to share your specialist disability accommodation bedroom with another person, we’ll make sure you’re not being asked to share your bedroom if you don’t want to. We also check that having more than one person in your bedroom won’t mean your needs may not be met.

When we look at whether sharing your bedroom is a risk to you, we think about your situation and the situation of other people you share with. We need to consider the impact on others in the house and make sure the house can accommodate an extra person.

Example

John lives in two-bedroom specialist disability accommodation with Karen who is also an NDIS participant. John would like his girlfriend Sophie to move in and share his bedroom.

After talking with John and Karen we confirm that they both are happy with this change to the living arrangement. We also confirm that there will be no impact to both of them receiving the disability related supports they need. The specialist disability accommodation provider will also need to agree to this new arrangement.

Sophie is not an NDIS participant so the 3 housemates will need to discuss with the provider and agree on the amount of rent to be paid by Sophie.