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Home & Living

Published:5 October 22 Updated:14 April 23

Home & Living:

Let me first introduce myself my name is Matthew I’m in my late 30s and I’ve been using a manual wheelchair since I can remember. I’m still new to Thrive365 amazing team starting six weeks ago! I have already 5 years’ experience working within the NDIS sector and a lifetime of disability lived experience. My past NDIS roles have been working as a Local Area Coordinator, Support Coordinator, I’ve supported many participants with different disabilities and abilities to reach their NDIS goals. I’m also a Participant within the NDIS and I’m very passionate about sharing my knowledge with others and seeing the NDIS be delivered in sustainable responsible way but also responsive to Participants individual needs and aspirations.

As a former Local Area Coordinator and Support Coordinator I would see participants and their supporters be miss guided with their understanding of what SDA and SILs is and how they then went about collecting home and living supporting evidence forms. We at Thrive365 can work with you, your family, supporters and Support Coordinators to improve your eligibility into SDA with SIL funding by working collaboratively with your team to collect the necessary reports from medical practitioners and allied health therapist.

I thought I would write my first blog to assist those Participants out there who want to know more about Specialist Disability Accommodation, Supported Independent Living and cheekily what Thrive365 can offer!

The NDIS can assist you to live independently. Participants and their families can discuss their home and living goals as part of their planning conversations. Although most participants will continue to access housing in the private market by owning or renting, or through social housing some NDIS participants with extreme functional impairment or very high needs may be provided with funding for Specialist Disability Accommodation, Support Independent Living funding or both. The NDIA can assess you and approve a capital budget for SDA funding.

What’s an SDA home? SDA homes are designed to be more accessible for disability related support needs. It assists Participants to have improved accessibility in their own homes and allow supports to be delivered better with improved safety for Participants and their supports. For example, SDA home that has a reinforced ceiling so a ceiling hoist can be installed. It’s important to know that SDA doesn’t include the supports services in home. That’s where Thrive365 SIL services come in but more on that in a moment!

There are four different types of SDA design categories:  

  1. Basic: Housing without specialist design features but with a location or other features that cater for the needs of people with disability and assist with the delivery of support services.
  2. Improved Liveability: Housing that has been designed to improve ‘liveability’ by incorporating a reasonable level of physical access and enhanced provision for people with sensory, intellectual, or cognitive impairment.
  3. Fully Accessible: Housing that has been designed to incorporate a high level of physical access provision for people with significant physical impairment.
  4. Robust: Housing that has been designed to incorporate a high level of physical access provision and be very resilient, while reducing the likelihood of reactive maintenance and reducing the risk to the participant and the community.
  5. High Physical Support: Housing that has been designed to incorporate a high level of physical access provision for people with significant physical impairment and requiring very high levels of support.

SDA building types:

  1. Apartments: Self-contained units that are part of a larger residential building.
  2. Duplexes, villas, and townhouses: Separate but semi-attached properties within a single land title or strata titled area. This also includes stand-alone villas or granny-flats.
  3. Houses: Detached low-rise buildings with garden or courtyard areas.
  4. Group homes: Houses that have 4 or 5 residents.

Now what is SILs you might be asking? Supported Independent Living support designed for your care needs to support you live your best life and be as independent as you can be. This is where Thrive365 can help!  These types of supports include help or supervision with daily tasks, like personal care or cooking meals. It’s there to support you to live as independently as possible, while building your skills. SILs is for people with higher supports needs, who need some level of help at home all the time.

The NDIS provides examples of participants who may require home and living support include but not limited to: 

  • Participants whose living arrangement is no longer suitable for their disability-related needs.
  • Participants who have restricted or limited mobility and are limited by their accommodation and unable to carry out day to day activities or have difficulties accessing facilities e.g., bathroom, kitchen, toilet, inside and outside of their accommodation safely.
  • Participants who have a need for specialist home and living solutions to provide a basis for the provision of suitable care – for example an adult participant with complex behavior support needs.
  • Participants who have somewhere to live, but their quality of life would be significantly improved by moving to alternative suitable accommodation or accessing additional support.
  • Participants who are currently in health care facilities who are unable to return to their pre-admission accommodation setting safely when discharged from the health care facility.
  • Participants who are currently living in any other accommodation that is temporary, unsafe or unsuitable and mainstream services / community supports are unable to provide a suitable alternative due to the participants disability related needs.

If you feel that your supports needs might meet the above examples than please talk to your NDIS Local Area Coordinator, Support Coordinator or NDIA Planner if you think that you require SDA and or SILs funding to help you live independently. It starts by creating a new home and living goal at your plan assessment or re-assessment meeting and with contacting Thrive365. We can assist you with information and can support your journey to better living independently.

How could Thrive365 work for you? Well, we work by partnering up with SDA providers and we are selective with our partnerships because we want to be the best SILs provider in your area for you and our clients. We will work with you to design your care program that fits within how you choose to be cared for within your NDIS supports budget.

There is the reality however that not everyone will be eligible for SDA or SILs funding from the NDIS. Sometimes this maybe because the NDIS gets their decisions wrong and that’s where I again recommend talking to your Local Area Coordinator or Support Coordinator to ask for a re-assessment formerly known as a review Change of Circumstances or Review of a Reviewable decision. Not all Participants will meet the criteria for SDA or SILs funding. So what then are the other supports out there for you? Here are other ways of being supported that won’t be NDIS funded but still work for you in your search for housing assistance.

  • Social and community housing. State and territory governments are responsible for social and affordable housing. Subject to waiting periods, state/territory government programs will support most people to find affordable housing in the general rental housing market.
  • Homelessness and emergency accommodation services.
  • Commonwealth Rent Assistance, a payment through Services Australia (formerly the Department of Human Services) that assists eligible participants with the cost of housing
  • The National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS) that is creating additional affordable rental properties.
  • The NDIS may also contribute to the cost of accommodation in situations where the participant has a need for specialised housing due to their disability.

If you have questions about what the NDIS can fund or what Thrive365 can offer through SDA and SILs supports services, then please get in contact with us.

Call our team 1300 555 365 or email matthew.cameron@thrive365.com.au for QLD Thrive365 vacancies and Mitchell.Spoel@thrive365.com.au or Thrive365 vacancies in NSW

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