NDIA Accommodation Team

July 2020

Specialist Disability

Accommodation (SDA) and

the National Disability

Insurance Scheme

What we’ll cover

• Brief background

• Different housing pathways

• When is SDA a housing pathway

• SDA eligibility criteria

• Funding decisions

• Design Categories

• Build types

• Resources

• Questions

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SDA – a quick overview

• SDA is relatively new, funding introduced in July 2016

• SDA funding is for NDIS participants with extreme functional impairment or very high support needs who meet specific criteria

• SDA is about giving people the opportunity to have real choice over their lives just like everyone else

• SDA funding levels are intended to stimulate investment in new high quality dwellings for use by eligible NDIS participants, and transition existing stock under the NDIS

• In 2018, the Disability Reform Council reviewed SDA to identify areas for improvement. A series of improvements to SDA were announced 8 February 2019, following the review

• SDA is not SIL

• SDA is not a housing solution to solve homelessness

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28,000participants

6.1%of scheme

participants

$700mSDA funding annually

SDA: estimates

Supporting SDA

• SDA data is published in the quarterly reports to COAG

• Working with all stakeholders to better understand SDA

– Improving current information and communication

– Internal training (planners and provider engagement)

– Public forum

– Provider specific education (investors & developers)

• Improving system functionality and communication e.g.

– triggers to a planner when a dwelling becomes

enrolled

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SDA Data – COAG Quarterly

report

At 31 March 2020:

Nationally (WA):

• 13 944 participants had SDA in their plan (391)

• 4 153 enrolled dwellings (27 – July 2020)

• 782 registered providers of SDA (~60)

• 240 active (19)

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Identifying a housing pathway

• Only six per cent of participants will meet the criteria of

extreme functional impairment or very high support

needs

• During the planning conversation immediate and longer

term housing support needs and preferences are

discussed, including opportunities for capacity building

and skill development

• If the person wants to remain where they live, but their

needs aren’t being met, opportunities for AT and Home

Modifications will also be discussed

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Housing pathways

• Public housing

• Community Housing

• Home ownership

• Shared Equity

• Private Rental

• ATHM

• Independent Living Options

• Shared Living options

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SDA Eligibility

SDA Participant pathway 1

• Participants living in state funded disability related

supported accommodation (e.g. a group home) when

they transitioned to the NDIS are automatically eligible

for SDA (SDA Rules 2020)

• SDA is entered into their plan

• This is a “quote required” amount, until the dwelling

where the participant is living becomes enrolled

• Once enrolled, the dwelling amount is implemented into

the plan and the service booking will be generated

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SDA Eligibility

SDA Participant pathway 2

The NDIA will need to assess the SDA funding level for:

• Participants who are living in SDA but needing to move

for the first time to another SDA

• Participants not living in SDA at transition, but who would

like to move to SDA if they are likely to meet the criteria

for SDA as per the SDA Rules (2020)

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SDA Eligibility Criteria

A participant meets the SDA assessment criteria if they

have:

a) an extreme functional impairment or

b) very high support needs

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SDA Eligibility Criteria

a) extreme functional impairment:

• an extremely reduced functional capacity to undertake

one or more of the activities of mobility, self-care or self-

management; and

• very high need for person to person supports in

undertaking the activity even with assistive technology,

equipment or home modifications.

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SDA Eligibility Criteria

b) very high support needs:

• previously lived in SDA for extended periods, which has

impacted their capacity to transition to alternative living

arrangements and supports; or

• very high level need for person to person supports,

either immediately available or constant, for a significant

part of the day; and

– informal supports are limited or

– there is likely to be risk to self or others

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Assessing SDA eligibility– an

internal process

Service Delivery (Planners) must prepare

documentation for the SDA Panel which contains:

• Facts about the person’s eligibility for SDA funding,

highlighting

– Their extreme functional impairment or very high

support needs

– How this impacts on their lives particularly on the

domains of mobility, self management and self

care

– Their housing goals and preferences

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Assessing SDA eligibility– an

internal process

• Information about the person’s capacity in self-care

and self-management help determine eligibility

• Information about mobility and behaviours of concern

is what helps determine the correct design

category.

• Information about the person’s preferences, their

socialisation and previous living arrangements help

determine the building type

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SDA recommendations

Service Delivery:

Will add SDA to the plan

Advise participants of the panel outcome and funding level

depending on how the SDA request came about:

– If normal plan cycle then the Plan approval letter - Plan

Approval Letter (DOCX 1441KB)

– If internal review, then the internal review letter - Internal

Review of Planning Decision - all supports approved

(DOCX 730KB)

– If plan has already been approved then the plan review

letter - Plan review confirmation - initiated by NDIA (DOCX

724KB).

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The Role of Support

Coordinators in Housing

• Look at all appropriate options

• If SDA is the most appropriate:

– May be asked to gather documentation e.g. Allied

Health reports

– Once SDA funding is confirmed, source the applicable

SDA design and build type

• Working with the Agency and providers to manage

expectations

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Residing in SDA

• Funding levels

• Service Agreements

• Reasonable Rent Contribution

• Revisions to the SDA Rules (2020)

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Understanding the SDA

funding recommendation:

Design categories

Build Types

SDA Funding Decisions

• Plan decisions are made according to the NDIS Act

(2013) and the SDA Rules (2020)

• Where a participant is eligible for SDA, the NDIA

considers participant goals and preferences, including

any preference to live alone

• Value for money is also considered

• Once a participant has an appropriate SDA budget, they

can approach the market and exercise their choice of

provider

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Panel recommendation

• High Physical Support (design category)

• Apartment, 2 bedrooms, 2 residents (build type)

• VIC – Bendigo (location)

• $53,066.24 (funding amount)

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Eligible Design

Build type

(highest

value)

Location

(highest

value)

OOA SprinklersBreakout

room

Yes

High

Physical

Support

Apartment,

2

bedrooms,

2 residents

VIC –

BendigoYes Yes No

Enrolled dwelling price vs participant

SDA funding

• Dwelling enrolment prices and plan prices don’t always

match, but a SDA provider can only ever claim the lesser

of the two amounts

• A participant can accept a vacancy that is of different

design category and or build type than their recommended

SDA

• A provider can accept a participant with a lower plan

amount, and can either absorb the price difference or

negotiate an additional contribution from the participant

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e.g. 1. Mary is found eligible for High Physical Support 3 res -$54, 579.

She has an offer of a property enrolled as a Fully Accessible 3 res house to the value of - $28, 439.64. The provider can only claim the lower amount which in this case is the $28, 439.64.

e.g. 2 Mary is found eligible for High Physical Support 3 res -$54, 579.

She has an offer of a property enrolled as Fully Accessible 1 res 1 brm apartment, in the same location, this would equate to $69, 084. The lower value is now the plan value - $54, 579. The provider can claim the $54,579 even though the design category is different.

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Enrolled dwelling price vs participant

SDA funding

Design categories

i. Improved liveability – designed to improve “liveability”

by incorporating a reasonable level of physical access

and enhanced provision for people with sensory,

intellectual or cognitive impairment

ii. Robust – high level of physical access provision and to

be very resilient, reducing the likelihood of reactive

maintenance and reducing the risk to the participant

and the community

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Design categories

iii. Fully accessible – high level of physical access provision for people with significant physical impairment

iv. High physical support – high level of physical access for people with significant physical impairment who require very high levels of support.

v. Basic – no 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 – only funded if someone has transitioned in living here

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Build types

1. Apartments - self-contained units that are part of a larger residential building

2. Duplexes, Villas, 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 – stand alone low rise buildings with garden or courtyard areas

4. Group Homes - houses where up to five people can live

The pricing for the building types also includes the number of bedrooms and the number of people who can live there.

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Determining the build type

Factors include the participant’s preference and how the build type would

– support the participant’s needs

– represent value for money – weighing up the benefits achieved and the cost of alternatives

– facilitate social and economic participation,

– impact on the participant’s ability to engage in the life of the household and community

– facilitate connections, in particular of culture or community

– facilitate or sustain informal supports, and the extent to which informal supports would reduce the cost of other supports.

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Supporting Support

Coordinators

• Working with all stakeholders to better understand SDA

– Improving current information and communication

– Internal training (planners and provider engagement)

– Understanding what it means to be a support coordinator with housing skills

– Providers and developers – disability awareness

• Exceptionally Complex Support Needs Project (ECSNP) deep dive

• Support Coordination consultation paper

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More info

• SDA pages on the NDIA website:

https://www.ndis.gov.au/providers/housing-and-living-

supports-and-services/housing/specialist-disability-

accommodation

• SDA Design Standard:

https://www.ndis.gov.au/providers/housing-and-living-

supports-and-services/housing/specialist-disability-

accommodation/sda-design-standard

• SDA Rules:

https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2020L00769S

• SDA Operational Guidelines https://www.ndis.gov.au/about-

us/operational-guidelines/specialist-disability-accommodation-

operational-guideline

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Questions

Contact Us

Phone: 1800 800 110

8am - 8pm eastern standard time weekdays

Email: enquiries@ndis.gov.au

SDA Housing: sdahousing@ndis.gov.au