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If you have a disability, inappropriate housing can make life difficult. It can stop you participating in work or study; it can stop you participating in your community. For people who aren’t happy with where they live, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) may be an opportunity to look for more suitable housing.

For many people, the NDIS is a whole new world, with lots of new words, new rules and new ways of doing things. So the Summer Foundation is creating resources to help.

SUMMARY OF CHANGES TO SDA FRAMEWORK

On 8 February 2019, the government announced ‘immediate reforms’ to Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) to improve choice and control for National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants and boost market confidence. The changes arise from an Australian Government review in 2018 of the SDA Pricing and Payments Framework.

This summary provides background to the changes, what has changed now, and future changes to be brought in. The summary is available for download here.

MY HOUSING PREFERENCES

What type of housing you would like to live in? Where you would like to live? Who you would like to live with? The Summer Foundation has developed a tool called My Housing Preferences to help you think about these things and work out your housing goals.

My Housing Preferences is available to download here.

SAMPLE NDIS PLANS

These sample NDIS plans are for people aged under 65 years living in, or at risk of entering, residential aged care (RAC), and may be helpful for their families, supporters, guardians or nominees.

The Sample NDIS Plans are available to download here.

LOOKING FOR SOMEWHERE TO LIVE

The NDIS doesn’t provide housing for people with a disability, but it may provide funding for people with disability to search for more suitable housing. This guide is to help you understand if you need funding in your NDIS plan to search for housing, and how to go about making the most of this funding if it’s provided in your NDIS Plan.

The guide is available to download here. Note that this guide replaces ‘Exploring Your Housing Options’.

MAINSTREAM HOUSING OPTIONS

Mainstream housing is any housing that is not specialist disability accommodation (SDA). It is housing that anyone can live in, whether they have a disability or not.

Most people with disability will not get SDA in their NDIS plan, but still want to choose where they live and who they live with. This guide explains the different types of mainstream housing and will help you look for housing that suits you.

The guide is available to download here.

SDA PAYMENTS GUIDE

Specialist disability accommodation (SDA) is housing that has been specially designed or modified to suit the needs of people who have an ‘extreme functional impairment’ or ‘very high support needs’. If you are eligible, the NDIS funds the cost of your housing through SDA payments to an SDA provider.

The Summer Foundation’s SDA Payments guide explains what the payments are, who they are paid to and how they are accessed. It also explains the different types of SDA. For people who have SDA payments included in their NDIS Plan, the guide explains how to make the most of the funding.

The guide is available to download here.

HOUSING PLAN TOOL (SDA)

The Housing Plan Tool has been created to help support coordinators prepare a Housing Plan for NDIS participants who are wanting to test their eligibility for SDA funding. The tool provides information about what support coordinators need to include in a Housing Plan to achieve the best possible outcome for the participant.

The tool is available to download here.

ALLIED HEALTH HOUSING ASSESSMENTS GUIDE

The aim of this guide is to assist support coordinators and allied health professionals collaborate on Housing Plans for National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants.

The guide is available to download here.

THE NDIS HOUSING PATHWAY

The NDIS housing pathway can be confusing, so we’ve created a diagram that outlines all the steps and links to relevant resources along the way.

You must demonstrate have searched for a mainstream housing option before testing  your eligibility for specialist disability accommodation (SDA). The NDIS Housing Pathway is available to download here.

USING SDA TO BUY YOUR OWN PROPERTY

Some people receiving specialist disability accommodation (SDA) payments may want to consider using them to cover mortgage repayments on an SDA property that they purchase. The steps involved are outlined in this resource, which is available to download here.

LIVING MORE INDEPENDENTLY

Moving from residential aged care, a group home or your parents’ home into a house where you get to decide what you do and how you live is a big thing for most people.

Living More Independently is a guide to help you plan for your move, then make it happen – you can download the guide here.

CHANGING RESOURCES

Under the NDIS, things are changing all the time. So sometimes we have to change the information in these resources. You can always find the latest version of our resources on this page.

Follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/SummerFoundationLtd to find out as new resources become available. And if you haven’t already, sign up to receive our newsletters via email here.