The NDIS, SDA, SIL – there’s so many acronyms to learn, let alone what it all means! We know it can be confusing, so here’s some of the most common questions our customers asked,
1. The WA Government can’t keep up with social housing, how will they fund Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) housing?
SDA housing is funded through private investment that is supported through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). The State Government is not involved.
2. Will you partner with parents via special disability trusts to try and generate an income stream for the trust moving into the future?
Shift Accessible Homes provides professional services that can support private individuals and third parties (including trusts), as well as the development of our own SDA housing. We would love to understand more about your requirements so that we can establish how we can most effectively support you.
3. Can this sort of accommodation be replicated for participants with lesser needs eventually, if people want to buy?
The SDA Design Guidelines identify four categories of build that can be registered with the NDIS as being SDA compliant, and which can therefore attract SDA funding.
The categories are High Physical Support, Fully Accessible, Improved Liveability and Robust. The Design Guidelines are openly available from the NDIS website and can be attributed to any development, but only those that are approved by NDIS and registered can attract the SDA funding. Shift can provide professional services to assist individuals with developing their own property, even if they do not qualify for SDA.
4. What are examples of extreme impairment?
Extreme impairment means that a person has a lot of trouble doing, or are unable to do, daily tasks on their own. For example, they might have difficulty moving around, completing personal care tasks, or looking after themselves. It also means they need lots of support from someone to do these things.
The eligibility criteria for extreme functional impairment identifies that an individual has a high need for support – even with Assistive Technology or Home Modifications.
5. Do you have to have a Support Coordinator? Can a person apply for SDA themselves?
Yes, an individual can certainly apply for SDA themselves. However, the experience of our customers is that it is beneficial to have a Support Coordinator on board during this process.
If an individual does not have a Support Coordinator and/or they prefer to work through the process on their own, as a minimum they would need to make sure they have a housing goal in their plan and ensure they have adequate funding to have an occupational therapist complete a SDA functional assessment.
We would strongly recommend they complete a Request For Home and Living Supports document and submit it to the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), which will identify if they would be eligible to explore their housing options.
6. If a person already has Supported Independent Living (SIL) and are approved for SDA, can they lose their SIL funding in the interim?
SIL and SDA are different support items from the NDIS. SDA funding is associated with the bricks and mortar of the property, and SIL funding is bespoke to each individual and is designed to enable the provision of day-to-day support. They are independently assessed and should not affect each other. For further information, please discuss this with your Support Coordinator or the NDIS.
7. If a person is not deemed eligible, is that a reviewable decision and can they go to AAT if needed?
This depends on the reasons why they are deemed unsuccessful.
For example, if an occupational therapist suggests that an individual won’t meet the eligibility criteria and they are unable to proceed with an assessment/report, this is unlikely to be reviewable. However, if the NDIS rejects the SDA application or approves it, but at a lower level, that may be a reviewable decision.
If an individual chooses to appeal a decision they will be required to explain why they are appealing and to provide additional evidence to make an appeal.
8. If a person does not currently have a housing goal in their plan, why do they need to submit a Home and Living form? Why can’t they just change their plan goals?
They need to submit a request via a Home and Living form to trigger a review for their eligibility for SDA. They will also require a goal in your plan to explore housing.
9. Can a person use Shift homes to build SDA if they don’t have it approved in their NDIA plan? Can they purchase their building services privately?
Shift provides professional services that can support private individuals and third parties (including trusts), as well as the development of our own SDA housing. We would love to understand more about your requirements so that we can establish how we can most effectively support you.
10. Who is the landlord, and how does this role interact with the management of supports?
The landlord is the owner of the property, they are independent of the provider of supports. For example, Shift builds SDA and is a landlord, Rocky Bay is an independent provider of support.
11. What are the rental rates?
There are multiple factors that contribute to any rental agreement between an SDA provider and the tenant, and these will be specific to the individual and the property attributes requested/available. Please enquire about your specific requirements with Rocky Bay’s Customer Engagement team.
12. Can a person engage their own supports?
Yes. Other providers of supports could be used by an individual, but this would be subject to the possibility of support being confirmed by the support provider and Shift.
13. What security of tenure and choice of co-residents does a tenant have?
Tenancy agreements can be either Fixed Term with an agreed end date, or Periodic in nature that offer security of tenure. Where a tenant’s SDA funding identifies living in a shared accommodation setting, Shift and Rocky Bay work together with all parties to match them together. The tenant can, at any time, exercise their rights in accordance with their tenancy agreement.
If you have any questions about SDA, funding, or current vacancies, contact the friendly and knowledgeable team at Shift on 6399 4100