Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA)
SDA Support in Melbourne's Western Suburbs
Finding the right home, with the right support around you.
At Heart & Hope Care, we know that where you live shapes everything else. Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) is NDIS funding for specially designed homes that suit people with extreme functional impairment or very high support needs. We help participants and families understand SDA, find a home that fits, and settle in with the daily support they need.
As a registered NDIS provider (Provider No. 405 015 7036) based in Sunshine North, we support participants across Melbourne’s western suburbs, including St Albans, Footscray and Caroline Springs. We work alongside your SDA provider, support coordinator and allied health team, so everyone is working towards the same goals.
Through our SDA support, we can help you:
- Understand what SDA is and whether it could suit you.
- Prepare for conversations about SDA funding in your NDIS plan.
- Compare SDA homes by location, design and housemates.
- Move in smoothly with a planned transition.
- Receive daily living support in your SDA home.
- Keep your supports under review as your needs change.
SDA Design Categories Explained
SDA homes come as apartments, villas or duplexes, townhouses and houses, and shared homes with up to five residents. Each home is built to one of four design categories.
Design category | What it means |
|---|---|
Improved Liveability | Features that make a home easier to live in for people with sensory, intellectual or cognitive impairments, such as clearer layouts and better lighting, along with some physical access features. |
Fully Accessible | A high level of physical access for people with significant physical impairments, including wheelchair-accessible features throughout the home. |
Robust | A home built to handle heavier wear and tear and to reduce risk for people whose behaviours of concern may damage a home, while staying safe and comfortable. |
High Physical Support | The features of a Fully Accessible home plus extras for people with very high physical support needs, such as ceiling hoists, assistive technology and space for support workers. |
SDA funding pays for the home itself. The support you receive in your home is funded separately, through your Core supports or Supported Independent Living (SIL).
How We Support You in an SDA Home
Understanding SDA and Your Plan
We explain how SDA funding works, who can be eligible and what evidence is usually needed, then work with your support coordinator and allied health team to help you prepare.
Finding the Right SDA Home
We help you and your family compare homes by location, design category and housemates, working alongside registered SDA providers so you can choose with confidence.
Daily Living Support in Your Home
Personal care, meals, medication support and community access, delivered by trained support workers who get to know your routines and preferences.
Settling In and Moving Day
A planned transition with familiar faces, so moving into a new home feels calm and organised for you and your family.
Working With Your Housing Provider
We keep in regular contact with your SDA provider about the home, so maintenance questions and household issues are raised and followed up quickly.
How to Get Started With SDA
Call or enquire
Phone 0403 918 575 or send the form. A short chat is enough to begin.
Talk Through Your Options
We explain SDA, check how it fits with your plan and goals, and connect you with your support coordinator and SDA providers.
Settle Into Your Home
Once you have chosen a home, we plan your move and your daily support, so you can settle in with confidence.
FAQ's
Specialist Disability Accommodation FAQs
SDA is NDIS funding for specially designed homes for people with extreme functional impairment or very high support needs. It pays for the home itself, such as accessible design features, not for the support you receive while living there.
SDA is for a small number of NDIS participants, and funding must be approved in your NDIS plan. Eligibility depends on your support needs and housing situation, so it is worth talking to your support coordinator or planner about whether it could suit you.
SDA is the home. Supported Independent Living (SIL) is the daily support delivered in that home. You can have SDA without SIL, or SIL without SDA, and many participants use both together.
Participants usually pay a reasonable rent contribution, and the SDA funding in your plan covers the remaining cost of the home. Your SDA provider can explain the exact amounts before you decide.
Yes. We provide daily living support for participants living in SDA homes across Melbourne's western suburbs, and we work alongside your SDA provider and support coordinator.
We are based in Sunshine North and support participants across Melbourne's western suburbs, including St Albans, Footscray and Caroline Springs.
Explore Our Other NDIS Services
Ready to talk about your housing options?
Get in touch to talk through your NDIS plan and how SDA support can help.