SDA design categories explained in plain English

Improved Liveability

The rules describe Improved Liveability housing as designed to improve "livability", with a reasonable level of physical access and enhanced provision for people with sensory, intellectual or cognitive impairment.

In everyday terms, it's a home designed to be easier to get around and easier to understand and use day to day. It can suit people whose main needs aren't about wheelchair access.

Robust

Robust housing has a high level of physical access and is built to be very resilient. The rules say it's designed to reduce the likelihood of reactive maintenance and the risk to residents and the community.

In practice, that means a home built to stand up to heavy wear without needing frequent repairs. It can suit people who need support with complex behaviours.

High Physical Support or Fully Accessible?

Both are built for people with significant physical impairment and both have a high level of physical access.

The difference is the level of support: High Physical Support homes are for people who also need very high levels of support, so they're built with extra structure and technology for that. Which one is in your plan is the NDIA's decision, based on your evidence.

SDA building types

Alongside the design category, every SDA home is one of four building types in the rules:

• Apartment: a self-contained home in part of a larger residential building, usually above or below another home.
• Villa, duplex or townhouse: a semi-attached home with 3 or fewer residents and its own accessible entry. It can be a self-contained granny flat on the same block as another home.
• House: a low-rise home with a garden or courtyard, on its own clearly separate block, that doesn't share walls, a roof, an entry or a driveway with other homes (apart from up to two small ancillary homes on the same block).
• Group home: a house with 4 or 5 long-term residents.

The number of residents is part of the definition, so a group home and a villa are different building types even if they look alike.

Who decides, and how to check a home

The NDIA decides whether you're eligible for SDA and which design category and building type fit your needs. Under the rules, you need an extreme functional impairment or very high support needs, and you must meet the SDA needs requirement, which asks whether SDA together with your other supports would help you more than other supports alone.

An extreme functional impairment means an extremely reduced ability to manage mobility, self-care or self-management, with a very high need for person-to-person support even with equipment or home modifications.

Before you look at a home, check the category and building type in your plan, then ask whoever is offering the home to confirm the home's own category and building type. If the two don't match, the home won't be funded for you. Among the homes that do match, choice and control means you decide which one to apply for.

If you need SDA but don't have it in your plan yet, start with your support coordinator or local area coordinator. Our guide to SIL, SDA and ILO explains how SDA fits with your support at home.

Common questions

What are the four SDA design categories?

Improved Liveability, Fully Accessible, Robust and High Physical Support. The rules also list a Basic category for housing without specialist design features.

What is the difference between High Physical Support and Fully Accessible?

Both have a high level of physical access for people with significant physical impairment. High Physical Support homes are also built for people who need very high levels of support, with features such as ceiling hoists and automated doors.

Who decides my SDA design category?

The NDIA decides whether you're eligible for SDA and which design category and building type fit your needs, based on your evidence.

Can I live in an SDA home with a different category from my plan?

A home has to match both the design category and the building type in your plan to be funded for you. Check your plan, then ask whoever is offering the home to confirm its category and building type.