To be eligible for SDA housing you must be an NDIS participant with a permanent disability who has very high support needs that require specialised disability housing.
In deciding whether you are eligible, the NDIA uses these initial broad criteria, which it applies to all funding support applications. The SDA support must:

• assist a participant to reach their goals and aspirations
• facilitate the participant’s social and economic participation
• represent value for money, relative to benefits achieved and costs of alternative supports
• be good practice and is likely to be beneficial to the participant
• consider what’s reasonable for parents, carers, informal networks and the community to provide
• be most appropriately funded through the NDIS.

The NDIA will ultimately determine if you are eligible based on your specific application.

SDA Services have collaborated with the team at Vera Living to create a fantastic online tool to help you access your SDA eligibility.

This tool walks you through a series of questions to get an insight into your individual circumstances, including whether you would be likely to be eligible for SDA.

The tool can be accessed via their website www.sdaservices.com.au/eligibility-tool

To get SDA funding you must be an NDIS participant and apply to the NDIA to have it included under Capital Supports in your NDIS plan.

SDA is usually assessed for inclusion at existing plan reviews. You submit a change of circumstances application. The application process is extensive and you need to be thorough and address every assessment criteria.

You don’t need to have identified a particular house, apartment or group home to test for SDA eligibility. You can get SDA in a plan to be able to use in the future. This is particularly important if the health of the person with the disability, or their parents or carers, starts to deteriorate.

Here are five steps to getting SDA funding into your NDIS plan.

1. Get funding and support to explore housing options – a Support Provider and Allied Health worker can be invaluable
2. Develop a housing goal
3. Develop a life vision
4. Assess SDA eligibility
5. Submit the SDA summary and evidence (SDA Housing Plan) to the NDIA.

The maximum rent contribution you can be charged is 25% of your disability support pension plus 100% of any Commonwealth Rental Assistance you receive. This will usually be significantly less than market rent. The balance of the rent is provided via the NDIS from your SDA housing funding in your plan.