The process for getting Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) funding can seem really complex. The key is to take it one step at a time. The steps are outlined in this video. You can read more about each step below.
If you have any questions about applying for SDA, SDA funding or how it works please contact us on 1300 61 64 63 or email us at housingoptions@housinghub.org.au
Tell the NDIS that you need to move house. You can do this even if you don’t want to move straight away. The NDIS cannot think about what kind of new funding you need if it doesn’t know that you are going to make a change.
You need a goal about housing in your NDIS Plan. A housing goal says what you want to happen with your housing. In your housing goal, you need to use the right words for the NDIS.
Your housing goal should talk about:
You can ask to change your goals at any time. To do this call the NDIS on 1800 800 110 or email enquiries@ndis.gov.au
The NDIS can fund a range of supports to help you find the right house for you. This funding is called Investigating Housing Solutions and can include:
SDA Pathway and approval process for NDIS Participants
Video: NDIS Housing Goal Writing
Guide: Looking for somewhere to live
The NDIS needs to be sure that SDA is right for you before it will pay for you to live in SDA. So you need to put together evidence for the NDIS. The NDIS can provide you with extra support coordination and allied health funding to help with this. This funding is called Investigating Housing Solutions. You should request this in your planning meeting.
It is very important that your evidence talks about why you need SDA according to the SDA Rules.
Your paperwork needs to include:
Home and living supporting evidence form (previously called 'Home and living supports request form')
Looking for somewhere to live guide
NDIS Housing Pathway (flowchart)
Participant Housing Statement (guide and template)
Allied Health Housing Assessment guide
Guide to Completing Home and Living Support Request form
How to write a Housing Plan (guide and template)
When your reports and assessments are done you can submit them to the NDIS at any time. A panel of people at the NDIS will decide if you are eligible for SDA.
If you are eligible, the NDIS will put this information in your NDIS plan:
What the NDIS decides about your SDA is called a ‘reviewable decision’. This means that if what has been decided isn’t right for you, you can ask the NDIS to look at it again. You should make sure that the information about your SDA funding is given to you in writing.
You can create a profile on the Housing Hub to help you search for the right home. This is where you tell us:
Any listings on the website that we think you might like will be sent to you.
Setting up your Housing Seeker Profile
You can choose a home that matches the details of the SDA funding in your NDIS Plan:
You can apply for an SDA property that costs less than the amount the NDIS has allocated in your NDIS Plan. You can also choose to live in an SDA property that is a different design category, building type or number of residents, but the cost must be the same or less than what is in your plan.
Before you apply for an SDA home that is different to what you have been funded for, it is good to think about why these things were approved for you and make sure the home you apply for is going to meet your needs. You should also check with the NDIS first if you plan to do this.
This is where you pay the SDA provider your share of the costs of renting the home.
The SDA provider can decide you don’t have to pay rent. The most an SDA provider can charge you is an amount equal to:
You can find out more on the NDIS website here.
This is where the NDIS will pay the SDA provider the payment they have allocated you when they approved SDA in your plan. If you have chosen a property that costs less, they will pay the provider the amount that the property costs.
The amount shown in your NDIS Plan is a yearly amount.
This is where you pay the SDA provider your share of the costs of renting the home.
This is generally:
Some things are best organised before you move, like a bed and any equipment you need.
If there will need to be changes to your support team, it's best to get to know those people make sure they are right before you move.
There might also be some skills you need or want to learn before you move.
If NDIS decides not to fund SDA for you, or not to fund the type of SDA you believe you need, you can ask the NDIS to review their decision.
It's really important that you understand why the decision was made, so ask for it in writing. You might need to give the NDIS additional evidence about your need for the type of SDA you are seeking. You may also decide that a different type of housing may be right for you.
If the review decision from the NDIS still isn't favourable, you can appeal to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT).
Call our NDIS Housing Advice line
For people with disability, families, and supporters. Monday – Friday 10.00am – 3.00pm AEDT. You can also email us anytime at housingoptions@housinghub.org.au.