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Home and Living SDA Frequently Asked Questions
We know that moving into a new house is a huge life decision, and we want you to be confident about the process and making the choice that is right for you.
Our goal is to support you to live an extraordinary, connected and independent life. We are here to answer all of your Home and Living SDA questions, no matter how big or small. We are committed to sharing our experience and expertise with you.
Here are some questions that our customers have asked us about Home and Living SDA as they started their SDA journey. If you have any other questions or would like to discuss what Home and Living SDA opportunities are available, please contact us.
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Specialist Disability Accommodation or SDA is new housing that has been designed for people with very high support needs. To be eligible for SDA, you need to have an ‘extreme functional impairment’ and/or ‘very high support needs’.
To assess your eligibility the NDIS look at your:
- Functional Ability - this is your ability to manage your daily tasks around your home, your personal care, meal preparation, or looking after yourself. This is on top of any assistive technology or home modifications.
- Support Needs - if you have high support needs you will need lots of person to person support, for a lot of the day from paid support workers. You may have lived in a supported accommodation or a group home previously.
- NDIS Plan - the NDIS will also ask how SDA will help you pursue your goals. You will need a housing goal in your NDIS Plan to start your journey to SDA. You can update your goals in your next Plan or ask for a Plan Review to include a housing goal.
If you are not eligible for SDA we can support you with our Supported Independent Living and Housing Options.
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SDA describes the physical home, as well as the funding in your NDIS Plan. SDA homes are designed to be more accessible so you can live more independently while receiving the living supports you need.
Supported Independent Living (SIL) is help with and/or supervision of daily tasks to develop the skills of an individual to live as independently as possible. These are the supports provided to people with disability in their home, and can be in a shared or individual living arrangement.
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Yes you can, and we understand how important it is to choose who you live with in a shared home.
As a first step, our experienced Home and Living team will get to know you and understand what is important to you. This includes how and where you would like to live, as well as who you would like to live with or not live with.
After this, we will introduce you to other potential housemates so you can meet a few times to get to know one another. We will then work with you towards a living arrangement that suits you and the people you will be sharing a home with.
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Moving to a new home with your living supports involves lots of planning and organising. Many SDA Homes are still being built and not ready to move into yet.
We will work closely with you from the first steps of exploring your housing options to moving in. We suggest planning one year ahead of when you would like to move. During this time you will need your Home and Living SDA decision approved by NDIS, so that you know which SDA homes you are eligible for.
Ability WA offers short term and medium term housing solutions while you are waiting for your dream SDA home.
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Ability WA’s qualified Therapy Team can undertake your Home and Living Supports Functional Impact Assessment for SDA. We will work with you to prepare a comprehensive Functional Assessment report for the NDIS SDA Panel about how you meet the eligibility criteria for SDA and your housing and living arrangement preferences.
We will visit you at home to discuss and assess your home and living supports including your mobility needs, personal care needs and supports, equipment and assistive technology. Our Functional Assessment report will collate your health, housing and other information NDIS reviews to make your SDA decision. You will need funding available in your NDIS Plan to use for your functional assessment, or to ask for a Plan Review.
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NDIS has separated funding for housing and living supports, so you have more choice about where you live and with who. Ability WA will be your living support provider if you choose, and you will have an SDA Provider for your home.
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Your NDIS Plan will show your SDA eligibility and how much funding you have each year for your SDA home. NDIS will pay this directly to your SDA Provider once you have moved into your SDA Home. You will pay a rent contribution to your SDA Provider and a housekeeping allowance to your Support Provider to cover all shared living costs including food, utilities, water usage and any other general household items.
Contact us for more information
Contact our Home & Living team today.
