Specialist Disability Accommodation
SDA is housing for NDIS participants with very complex support and housing needs who require specialist housing solutions.
Funding is provided to a small proportion of NDIS participants with extreme functional impairment or very high support needs who meet specific eligibility criteria.
About SDA
Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) is the ‘bricks and mortar’ capital component of disability accommodation supports funded by the NDIS. ‘New Build’ SDA is designed and built for the purpose of meeting the support requirements of NDIS participants with very complex support and housing needs who require specialist housing solutions.
When a person is eligible for SDA, the NDIA will include SDA funding in their NDIS plan. SDA Funding is for the cost of the home or dwelling and does not include the services or support that might be needed by the tenant in the home. Rent and other personal costs to reside in the home will be separate.
Not all people with disability will require specialised housing to meet their accommodation needs, with only 3.5 per cent of NDIS participants currently receiving SDA in their NDIS plans. Some people with disability who require specialist disability accommodation are residing in Aged Care Facilities, Group Homes, Legacy Homes, Hospitals and in other unsuitable accommodations, including living with aging parents or guardians.
This new generation of NDIS funded SDA housing has growth in house and apartment options and a decline of large group homes. Housing can include Houses, Apartments and Villas/Duplexes/Townhouses notable for not looking like specialist housing.
Specialist Disability Accommodation
The National Disability Insurance Scheme applies to all State and Territories of Australia. The NDIS provides support to eligible people with intellectual, physical, psychological, cognitive and sensory disabilities. This A$40B a year program supports well over half a million people in achieving their goals. Of this funding, $700M is allocated to Specialist Disability Accommodation.
Current suppliers for NDIS housing are unable to meet the demand for suitable housing due to a lack of funding. Estimates show there is a A$5B deficit to meet the NDIS goals for Special Disability Accommodation and SDA participants. This has created an opportunity for private investors to support government commitments.
Many of the 30,000 NDIS participants who need now, or are expected to require specialised housing by 2032, currently have no access to suitable Specialist Disability Accommodation. Additionally, a high percentage of existing housing will require upgrading or redevelopment in the near future. NDIS PROPERTY AUSTRALIA supports Participants with a forever home built and designed to create independence and freedom, to assist carers and improve the quality of life.
SDA helps deliver accommodation in the form of liveable homes for participants.
Liveable homes are designed to meet the changing needs of occupants across their lifetime. They must be easy to enter, to navigate around, be capable of cost effective adaption. They must be responsive to changing needs of home occupants, offering them maximum independence and as well as ensuring that providers are able to respond to participant needs and preferences.
Our business linkups with Builders, Developers & NDIS Providers is aimed at providing a ethical investment opportunity with sustainable long-term returns, not only for the investors but also for the Participants themselves.
SDA Accommodation Design Categories
Specialist Disability Accommodation is broken up into 4 separate design categories.
IMPROVED LIVEABILITY
Improved Liveability SDA suits people who find it difficult to see or understand things around them.
Dwellings under the SDA design category ‘Improved Liveability’ have been built or updated to incorporate a reasonable level of physical access and enhanced provision for people with sensory, intellectual or cognitive impairment.
The design must include improved liveability design features suitable for the residents needs which may include elements such as luminous contrast, improved wayfinding or lines of sight.
FULLY ACCESSIBLE
Generally, people who are eligible for Fully Accessible SDA use a wheelchair to get around some or all of the time.
Under the SDA design categories ‘Fully Accessible’, housing must incorporate a high level of physical access provisions for people with significant functional impairment.
They must include features for improved accessibility both inside and out.
The external doors and outdoor private areas must be accessible by wheelchair and the bathroom vanity and handbasin should be accessible in either a seated or standing position.
There should be power supplies to doors and windows including blinds for the retrofit of automation, as necessary. Plus you must also consider if the kitchen sink, bench, cooktop and key appliances such as oven, microwave, dishwasher, washing machine and dryer should be accessible from a seated or standing position in order to meet the residents needs.
ROBUST
For people with disabilities such as autism, mental health conditions and other psycho-social disorders, Robust SDA may suit.
Under the SDA design category requirements ‘Robust’ housing must incorporate a high level of physical access provisions.
It must also be resilient to minimize risk to the participant, to carers and the community and to reduce the likelihood of reactive maintenance. To achieve this, ‘Robust’ dwellings must make use of resilient but inconspicuous materials that can reduce the risk of injury and disturbances and cope with very heavy use. These include secure windows, doors and external areas, high impact wall linings, fittings and fixtures such as blinds and door handles, soundproofing and laminated glass.
The design should also include adequate space and safeguards to support the needs of residents with complex behaviours and provide areas of retreat for other residents and staff to avoid harm.
HIGH PHYSICAL SUPPORT
High Physical Support SDA suits those people who use an electric wheelchair to get around, or a hoist to get in and out of bed, or need many hours of support every day.
Dwellings in the ‘High Physical Support’ SDA design category feature a high level of physical access provisions for people with a significant functional impairment who require very high levels of support.
High Physical Support housing includes all of the requirements listed in the ‘Fully Accessible’ design category plus structural provisions for ceiling hoists and a minimum 950mm clear opening width doors to all habitable rooms.
Homes registered under High Physical Support are also assisted technology ready with heating and cooling and household communications and technology and include emergency power solutions to cater for a minimum 2 hour power outage if the welfare of residents is at risk.
CHECKLIST
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