If you are feeling lost with housing and living terms, you are not alone. Here is a plain English guide to what each one means, how they actually work day to day, and how to start choosing the right fit for you.
First, a simple picture
SIL is Core funding for significant hours of paid support where you live. It covers support workers and rostering, not your rent or utilities.
ILO is an alternative to SIL for in home support that is less formalised and more flexible, often built around a host, housemate or boarder style arrangement with support available when you need it.
SDA is funding for specialist accommodation itself, for people with extreme functional impairment or very high support needs. It pays for the dwelling, not the day to day supports.
What this means for you: think SIL = lots of support hours at home, ILO = flexible support at home, SDA = the specialised home, and combine them as your needs require.
Supported Independent Living (SIL)
SIL funds paid support in your home, such as help with personal care, cooking and daily living. It is usually for people who need support across the day, sometimes overnight.
Important realities to know upfront:
- Many SIL arrangements operate like a group home. Participants often live together in a share house that is run by the provider.
- SIL funding does not pay your rent or utilities. Housing is a separate arrangement. It is common for a SIL provider to sublet a room to you under a tenancy or licence agreement that sits beside the SIL service agreement.
- A lot of SIL funding is rostered at shared ratios, for example 1 to 2 or 1 to 3. This means the worker on shift supports two or three participants at the same time. If you need twenty four hour presence but not constant one to one help, a shared house may be suggested. You will not have continuous direct attention every minute because the worker is allocated across the household.
What this means for you: if you need frequent help at home and are comfortable with support that is shared at times, SIL may fit. If you need one to one support most of the time, talk about whether a different model or additional hours are required.
Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA)
SDA funds the dwelling itself for people with extreme functional impairment or very high support needs. SDA homes meet specific design standards and are enrolled with the NDIA. If you receive SDA, you still contribute a reasonable rent amount and day to day bills, and you still need separate funding for your supports, for example SIL or other help.
What this means for you: SDA is suitable when ordinary housing, even with modifications, cannot meet your access or safety needs. It does not include your support workers.
Individualised Living Options (ILO)
ILO is a flexible way to set up your living arrangement so it suits your life. It does not buy a house. It often looks like a more informal or blended situation:
- You might live with a host, as a housemate or boarder, or in a granny flat on someone’s property.
- The ILO provider, or a worker linked to them, lives at the property or nearby. You may have set hours of direct support each day, plus flexible help when needed. For many people this feels calmer than a group home.
- ILO is developed in two parts. First is Exploration and Design to plan the setup. Second is funding to put the agreed supports in place.
What this means for you: if you want a home life that feels less like a facility, with support on hand and flexibility to ask for help when you actually need it, ILO may be the better fit.
How they can combine
- SDA plus SIL: you live in an SDA home and receive rostered support. SDA covers the building, SIL covers the staff.
- Private rental or family home plus SIL: you do not need SDA housing, but you do need regular help at home.
- Private rental or family home plus ILO: you prefer a host or housemate model with tailored supports rather than a rostered group home.
What this means for you: match where you live to how you want to be supported. You can mix and match.
Which one fits my situation
Choose the statement that sounds most like you.
- SIL might fit if you often need help across the day and sometimes at night, and you can work within shared ratios for parts of the day.
- SDA might fit if you need a purpose built home because ordinary housing will not work, even with changes. You still need a support package alongside it.
- ILO might fit if you prefer a host, housemate or boarder model with flexible help on hand, and you want a living environment that feels less like a group home.
Where to start
- Write your week. Note when you need help, any overnight needs, and what is hard or unsafe in your current housing.
- Talk with the right professionals. Occupational therapy and other allied health reports carry weight for all three options.
- Start the right pathway. Ask your planner or LAC how to pursue SIL, SDA or ILO based on your evidence and goals.
A practical help for SDA eligibility
For SDA eligibility exploration, we recommend SDA Services. They can bill under Core, Capacity Building, and Support Coordination funding. They help gather the right evidence and map whether SDA fits your situation.
What this means for you: if you think SDA might be right, bringing in a specialist early can save time and reduce back and forth.
Simple scenarios
- You need staff present around the clock, but one to one is only needed at certain times. A SIL share house with a mix of shared and one to one hours could work. Expect ratios like 1 to 2 or 1 to 3 for parts of the day.
- You cannot use a standard home safely, even with rails and ramps. Explore SDA design categories and whether you meet SDA eligibility. You will still need a support package to live there.
- You want a quieter home life with a known person nearby. Explore ILO with a host, housemate or boarder model, with flexible support that you can call on.
Key takeaways
- SIL is support. SDA is housing. ILO is a flexible living setup.
- SIL often runs as a group home style arrangement with shared ratios, and housing agreements are separate from the SIL agreement.
- ILO can feel more personal and less structured, with support available when you need it.
- If SDA might fit, consider engaging SDA Services to explore eligibility and evidence.
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