SDA Housing (Specialist Disability Accommodation)
SDA housing is specially designed housing for NDIS participants with extreme functional impairment or very high support needs, paid for by Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) funding in their plan. SDA funds the home itself, not the support you get there. Only a small group qualifies: the NDIA estimates about 6% of participants. If you live in SDA, you pay a reasonable rent contribution and your SDA funding pays the provider the rest.
Figures from the NDIA and its NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits 2026-27 v1.1. Last checked 3 November 2026.
What SDA housing pays for
Most NDIS supports pay for help. SDA pays for housing: a home designed so people with very high needs can live there safely, and so the support they need is easier to deliver.
- SDA funding goes to the SDA provider, the organisation that owns or manages the home, not to you.
- The home must be enrolled with the NDIA as SDA, and the provider must be registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.
- It doesn't pay for support workers. Day-to-day support in the home usually comes from Supported Independent Living (SIL) or other supports in your plan, funded separately.
- It doesn't pay living costs. Food, bills and personal costs are yours.
SDA sits in the Capital supports budget of a plan, while SIL and most daily supports sit in Core. See NDIS funding categories.
Who is eligible for SDA?
SDA is for NDIS participants who need a specialist home, not just support. The NDIA estimates about 6% of participants are eligible. To be funded for SDA you need:
- An extreme functional impairment or very high support needs.
- Evidence that you need specialist housing, usually an occupational therapist's housing assessment and SDA report.
- The NDIA to decide SDA is reasonable and necessary for you: the right way to meet your housing needs, and value for money.
Needing a lot of support doesn't on its own make you eligible. Many people with high support needs live in ordinary homes. If SDA isn't right for you, other home and living supports may be:
- Supported Independent Living (SIL), support workers who help you in a rented, owned or shared home.
- Individualised Living Options (ILO), a package of supports designed around how and where you want to live.
- Home modifications, such as ramps, grab rails or an accessible bathroom, so you can live safely where you are.
How to get SDA in your NDIS plan
- 1
Tell the NDIA about your housing goals
Say you want to explore specialist housing, at a planning meeting, a plan reassessment or by contacting the NDIA. Explain why your current home isn't working for you.
- 2
Get an occupational therapist's assessment
The OT looks at how you manage at home, then writes a housing assessment and SDA report setting out why you need specialist housing and which design category suits you.
- 3
Gather supporting evidence
Statements from family, carers and treating professionals help show what isn't working now, such as risks to your safety, what you can't do for yourself there, or the load on your carers.
- 4
Send it to the NDIA
A support coordinator can help you pull the evidence together and submit it. It can take time, so start as early as you can.
- 5
Check your plan
If SDA is approved, your plan sets out the SDA you're funded for, including the design category and building type.
- 6
Find a home and move in
Look for a vacancy that suits the SDA in your plan, then agree the terms with the SDA provider before you move.
If your home isn't ready yet. If your long-term home is arranged but you can't move in yet, for example because it's still being built or modified, medium term accommodation (MTA) can pay for somewhere temporary to live, usually for up to 90 days. The 2026-27 price limit is $162.85 a day. MTA covers the accommodation only: your support is funded separately.
If the NDIA says no. You can ask for an internal review of the decision within 3 months of getting it. If you still disagree after the review, you can apply to the Administrative Review Tribunal.
The four SDA design categories
There are four SDA design categories, each for a different kind of need.
| Design category | Designed for | What the home has |
|---|---|---|
| Improved Liveability | People with a sensory, intellectual or cognitive impairment | A reasonable level of physical access, plus features such as better lighting and layouts that are easy to find your way around. |
| Fully Accessible | People with a significant physical impairment | A high level of physical access, such as step-free entry and access throughout, wider doorways and wheelchair-accessible bathrooms. |
| Robust | People whose behaviour can place high physical demands on a home | Very durable, hard-wearing construction that lowers the risk to residents and others and needs fewer repairs, with a reasonable level of physical access. |
| High Physical Support | People with a significant physical impairment who need very high levels of support | The highest level of physical access, with features such as ceiling hoists and home automation. |
Your occupational therapist recommends the category that suits you, and the NDIA decides what goes in your plan.
SDA building types
Each SDA home also has a building type:
- Apartment: a self-contained home in a larger building.
- Villa, duplex or townhouse: a home that may share a wall with its neighbours.
- House: a standalone home.
- Group home: a larger shared home.
The SDA funding for a home depends on its design category, building type and location, and on how many residents it's built for. Some SDA homes are for one person and others are shared, so think about whether you want to live alone or with others before you start looking.
What you pay to live in SDA
The NDIS doesn't pay ordinary rent. But if you live in SDA, you don't pay the full cost of the home either:
- Reasonable rent contribution. You pay this to your SDA provider. It's worked out from the Disability Support Pension rate rather than the market rent, plus any Commonwealth Rent Assistance you receive. Your SDA funding pays the provider the rest.
- Living costs. Food, household bills, phone, internet and personal costs, as for anyone renting a home.
- Support. Your support, such as SIL, is funded separately in your plan.
Ask the SDA provider for your rent contribution and every other cost in writing before you sign anything.
SDA vs SIL: the home and the support
| Feature | SDA | SIL |
|---|---|---|
| What it pays for | The home itself | Support workers who help with daily tasks at home |
| Who it's for | People with extreme functional impairment or very high support needs | People with higher support needs who need some help at home all the time |
| Plan budget | Capital supports | Core supports |
| Who provides it | An SDA provider that owns or manages the home | A SIL provider, which can be a different organisation |
| What you pay | A reasonable rent contribution, plus living costs | Your own rent and living costs, wherever you live |
Most people who live in SDA also get SIL. You can get SIL without SDA, though, in an ordinary rented, owned or shared home. See our Supported Independent Living guide.
Finding SDA vacancies and SDA providers
Look for a vacancy that suits the SDA in your plan, in the area where you want to live.
- Your support coordinator can search for vacancies that match your design category, contact providers and help plan the move. What a support coordinator does.
- SDA providers advertise their own vacancies, and listing sites such as Housing Hub (housinghub.org.au) collect them in one place.
- Help Alliance. Send one request for SDA, SIL or support coordination. We send it to providers who serve your suburb and offer that support. Up to three who can help accept it and contact you directly, and you choose who to go with.
Before you agree to move in, ask:
- Is the home enrolled with the NDIA as SDA, and under which design category and building type?
- Who else lives there, and can I meet them?
- What will my reasonable rent contribution be, and what other costs will I pay?
- Who provides support in the home, and can I choose my own SIL provider?
- Who looks after repairs, and how much notice do I need to give if I want to move out?
- Is it close to my family, work and the services I use?
Find SDA and SIL providers
Free for families. Tell us what you need and where, and providers who serve your area and can help will contact you. You choose who to go with.
Get supportSDA housing questions
Related guides
Sources: NDIA; NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits 2026-27 v1.1. Help Alliance doesn't own or manage homes and isn't an NDIS provider. Looking in Perth? See SDA housing in Perth.