Specialist Disability Accommodation
For people in the community with very high needs, securing suitable housing can be a challenge – but now, Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) aims to change this. SDA is available to participants of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) who are assessed as needing a special housing solution. It provides financial support to help people with high need disability to rent, buy or build a home that includes the support features they need.
SDA funding is designed to give NDIS participants choice and control of where they live, how they live and with whom they live. Funding of other disability supports for an individual is separate to SDA funding for their specialist housing needs. The SDA model of funding creates a user-driven market where individuals can make decisions about the type of housing they will access with their SDA payment. The SDA funding and market supply model is expected to deliver better and more person-centred housing outcomes for people with very high and complex disability support needs.
The Australian Commonwealth Government provides funding for SDA participants who meet specific eligibility criteria, as part of its National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). The annual NDIS budget for SDA is estimated to be $700 million, with approximately 15,000 participants utilising SDA. Like other parts of the NDIS, SDA employs a market-based approach by allocating funding to eligible participants. A participant can use that confirmed funding to then source the support that appeals to them from the market. For SDA, this means the NDIS provides funding through a participant’s plan and the participant then finds and applies for the SDA option that best suits their needs. SDA payments range from $4,000 per annum for ‘Basic’ category to $110,000 p.a. for High Physical Support apartments with on-site overnight assistance (OOA).
NDISLINK Events and Conferences works closely with SDA Providers, Morris Goding Access Consultants, ADEB (Architects Designers Engineers Builders), Industry Experts, Local Government, Law Firms, Service Providers to ensure that the most up to date information is delivered at events, seminars and conferences held
