Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) refers to housing that is adapted and accessible to accommodate the specific needs and requirements of tenants. SDA does not refer to the support services available to the tenant, but the homes in which these are delivered.
SDA may include special designs for people with very high needs or may have a location or features that make it feasible to provide complex or costly supports for independent living.
Some people with very high needs require special accommodation that enables them to receive the supports they need. The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) refers to this as Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA). Participants who are assessed as needing SDA as part of their reasonable and necessary supports will receive funding to cover the costs of SDA.
What is Specialist Disability Accommodation?
Specialist Disability Accommodation is housing that enables people with very high needs to receive the support they need. SDA will provide funding towards the cost of the physical environment for eligible NDIS participants to live and receive their daily supports. The NDIS is committed to ensuring SDA provides homes for people with very high needs and not just simply a building where they live. This includes limiting the number of residents per house to a maximum of five in a single dwelling.
SDA homes may range from a purpose built apartment in a mixed development through to a modified free standing house. It is important to note that SDA is not housing for all people with a disability, it only caters for those that need a specialist housing solution.
Accommodation design categories
Each SDA house/apartment will be assessed against an SDA design category. There are five categories in total and they inform the specifications and requirements of each dwelling and their suitability to support tenants comfortably;
Basic Housing without specialised design features but with other important SDA characteristics (e.g. location, privacy, shared supports).
Improved Livability Housing that has been designed to improve ‘Livability’ by incorporating a reasonable level of physical access and enhanced provision for people with sensory, intellectual or cognitive impairment
Fully Accessible Housing that has been designed to incorporate a high level of physical access provision for people with significant physical impairment
Robust Housing that has been designed to incorporate a high level of physical access provision and be very resilient, reducing the likelihood of reactive maintenance and reducing the risk to the participant and the community.
High Physical Support Housing that has been designed to incorporate a high level of physical access provision for people with significant physical impairment and requiring very high levels of support.
Quality Health Care SDA Options
Quality Health Care is a registered specialist disability housing provider with the NDIS and we have eleven homes accommodating up to 56 residents located across the Sydney Metropolitan region. Each home is SDA approved and registered with the NDIS.
Housing and Supported Independent Living Services Our housing is more than bricks and mortar, it’s a home. We support our residents to maintain their home and establish a secure residency. Our aim is to create communities where individuals are respected, valued and support each other and we specialise in the areas of disability, mental health and ageing, working in partnership with the people we support and the local community where we are located.
Many residents enter QHC’s supported accommodation having previously lived in environments where their needs were not fully understood or met. Such environments may have been experienced as uncaring, under stimulating or overstimulating, sometimes chaotic, and largely unsafe. QHC staff work within therapeutic frameworks and standards to support residents to develop new skills and have new experiences that will enable them to lead fuller lives, achieve their goals and move towards independence. QHC environments are designed and maintained to be homely, welcoming and safe spaces that provide clients with a secure base. Such environments can provide a range of benefits:
Reducing or eliminate environmental stressors
Providing positive / engaging activities
Enabling social support
Promoting a sense of control
Supporting resident’ safe exploration of identity
QHC recognises that a person’s environment is not just made up of their physical surroundings, it consists of many other elements; the systems, structures, norms and expectations. What is safe and engaging for one person, may not be for the next, and that the needs of individuals can change. QHC will ensure a collaborative and supportive environment is maintained through open communication via house meetings, shared unit meetings, staff meetings and reference meetings.
The QHC Accommodation Team Our specialist team at Quality Health Care support people with disability who want to:
Live independently
Learn and develop everyday skills
Be a part of the community
Make friends
Receive support in personal care or healthcare
In our supported independent living services our approach is pretty simple, we do whatever it takes to support residents to reach their goals. Our team is dedicated to helping all residents find the right support and right solution to lead the life they have always wanted. We work with residents at all times, we listen, we consult, and we plan together to make sure each person gets the support that not only meets individual needs but also preferences.
Our team assists each resident to develop new skills and experiences and move towards independence. We work with all residents to identify goals and the support required to achieve each goal. Our services offer choice, opportunity and focus on skill development so residents can reach goals more quickly. Our support is always individual, tailored and person centred and all our staff focus on what things are important to someone now and in the future. Our team receives ongoing support to ensure that we; listen, learn and understand the needs of each resident and we make plans, decisions and choices together ensuring that the person is at the centre of these actions.
Caring, Respect, Excellence, Integrity and Compassion are foundation blocks of QHC. We want to ensure that we take these with us on our forward journey. We are confident in continuing to identify opportunities and constraints to the organisational cultural change required to further embrace person centred approaches.
So, what is the process we’ll have to take to get you into your new home? Finding your new home is an important process which you will be involved in from start to finish. At Quality Health Care we aim to be involved every step of the way.
Check out our website to see what's available in our SDA accommodation.