Lifting the veil on the viability of developing Specialist Disability Accommodation
DEC Housing Ltd
A disability and community housing provider creating quality, affordable, energy-efficient homes. Your Choice Your Home.
There’s undoubted excitement for anyone learning they’ve been successful in gaining funds for Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) in their NDIS plan – especially if current living arrangements impede independence or attaining goals.
And what brings us the greatest satisfaction is managing the process for a person with disability to live in a home, newly built and customised to their needs, in a location of their choice.
The beauty of DEC Housing’s model is the collaborative engagement between participant and provider. We’ll only purchase land that both of us agree is suitable for the new home, and building doesn’t start until plans are agreed.
Of course, like many other things NDIS-related, the steps in between can be fraught with complexity, for both participant and SDA provider!
The method we use to find appropriate land and build is a stepped one, influenced by several factors. There’s one necessary evil we can’t avoid…
Understanding the SDA budget build up
The overall budget we need to work within is based on a participant’s:
? SDA category (Improved Liveability, Fully Accessible, Robust, High Physical Support)
? their SDA share status (sole occupancy, share with 1 or 2 others)
? the approved dwelling type (apartment, villa/duplex/townhouse or house) plus;
? the approved location.
The approved location is a geographic region based on ABS Statistical Area Level 4 areas (SA4). Each SA4 has a ratio applied by the NDIA, essentially providing greater or lesser funding to develop in that area. While participants aren’t held hostage to their approved location