Penny
Specialist Disability Accommodation.
Hello. My name is Penny, and I'm from the Housing Hub team here at the Summer Foundation. This chapter is about Specialist Disability Accommodation or SDA. The NDIS will fund the cost of housing for eligible NDIS participants who's extreme functional impairment or very high support needs mean they can't live in mainstream housing.
SDA is housing that has been specially designed or modified to suit the needs of people who have an extreme functional impairment or very high support needs. The SDA payment was started because a small number of NDIS participants need special types of housing that aren't found in the mainstream housing market. Around 6% of NDIS participants may get SDA funding, which is about 28,000 people, when the NDIS is fully rolled out. NDIS is encouraging new SDA housing to be built right across Australia.
Many types of organisations can provide SDA, government, non-government and private sector providers. You can be a self provider of SDA or homeowner. We will cover this in a later chapter. SDA is long-term support for eligible participants. The SDA payment covers the cost of the property, the actual building you live in, and is paid to the SDA provider. Support is covered separately and paid to the support provider, for example, SIL or ILO. The term SDA can mean both the SDA property and the SDA funding. It's good to know this so you can work out which one is being discussed. SDA properties must be enrolled with the NDIS, and providers must also be registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.
These are the steps showing how SDA works. One, you get access to the NDIS and show a need for new housing. You get funding for support coordination to explore options. Two, all the reports and evidence is put together for SDA. This includes a housing plan, using support coordination funding, and a statement by you about your housing needs and reports by therapists. Three, NDIS decides if you get SDA funding. Four, with your funding, you can search for housing using the Housing Hub. Five, you choose a home within the design category and location for that funding. Six, you enter into a tenancy agreement with the SDA provider. Seven, NDIS pays the SDA provider the SDA payment. Eight, you pay the SDA provider for rent, which is set at 25% of the disability support pension, plus, Commonwealth Rent Assistance.
The NDIS recently created a Home and Living space on their website with a range of resources for NDIS participants. A link to this page is provided. There is a new form on this NDIS page. You can use it to ask for SDA funding and access to home and living supports. It is called the Home and Living Supports Request Form. This may now be used to request such supports to be included in your plan. We think it is really important to think about your eligibility and the reports you have before sending this form to the NDIS. See our section on SDA eligibility for more detail. Now, you can watch Liz and Jono's stories about their SDA journeys. When you've done this, watch the next chapter where I explained the different types of SDA.