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NDIS housing options explained: SDA, SIL, ILO and short-term options

By The Find My SDA Team · Updated 10 Aug 2026

The NDIS uses a lot of acronyms for housing and living support, and it is easy to mix them up. Some pay for a home, some pay for the support you receive in it, and some are only for the short term. This guide explains SDA, SIL, ILO, MTA and STA in plain English, and how they fit together. If you want the detail on the home itself, start with What is SDA?.

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SDA: the specially designed home

Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) is the building. It is specially designed housing funded through the NDIS for a small number of participants with an extreme functional impairment or very high support needs. SDA appears as its own line item in an NDIS plan, and the NDIS decides who is eligible.

SDA comes in different design categories and dwelling types, from apartments to villas and group homes. What SDA does not include is the day-to-day support you receive at home. That is funded separately.

SIL: the support in the home

Supported Independent Living (SIL) is the help with daily tasks such as personal care, cooking, medication prompting and building life skills. SIL pays for support workers, not for the building.

A single home can involve both SDA and SIL, funded through different parts of a plan. Because people often confuse the two, we wrote a dedicated guide on the difference between SDA and SIL.

ILO: a flexible way to arrange support

Individualised Living Options (ILO) is not a building. It is a flexible way to design how and with whom a participant lives, for people who want more choice than a traditional shared arrangement. An ILO focuses on the mix of formal and informal supports around a person, such as a housemate, host arrangement or a tailored package of drop-in support.

ILO and SDA answer different questions. SDA is about the home; ILO is about the living and support arrangement. Some people use one, some use the other, and the NDIS decides what is funded in a plan.

MTA and STA: short-term options

Medium Term Accommodation (MTA) is temporary housing for participants who are ready to leave hospital or their current home but whose confirmed long-term home, such as an SDA place, is not available yet. It is generally funded for a limited period while the longer-term option is finalised.

Short Term Accommodation (STA), often called respite, covers short stays away from home, including the support, accommodation, meals and activities during that stay. STA is usually about giving participants and their families a break rather than a long-term housing solution.

How they fit together

A helpful way to think about it: SDA and MTA and STA are about where you live; SIL and ILO are about the support around you. Many participants combine an accommodation type with a support type, for example an SDA home with SIL support.

What is funded, and in what mix, is decided by the NDIS based on a participant's needs and goals. Before you commit to any home, it is worth confirming how your accommodation and support are each funded, and what you would pay as a reasonable rent contribution.

Where to start if you want an SDA home

If SDA is funded in your plan, the practical next step is to browse current SDA vacancies by suburb and design category and enquire on the homes that match your needs. Our guide on how to apply for SDA walks through getting SDA into a plan in the first place.

Find My SDA is a licensed real estate agency (RLA 344702) and a registered NDIS SDA provider, so you deal with one team from your first enquiry through to moving in.

Common questions

What is the difference between SDA and SIL?

SDA is the specially designed home, funded as its own line item. SIL is the day-to-day support you receive in that home. They are different things, funded separately in your NDIS plan.

What is an ILO in the NDIS?

An Individualised Living Option is a flexible way to arrange how and with whom you live, focusing on the mix of supports around you rather than a specific building. It is different from SDA, which funds the home itself.

What is the difference between MTA and STA?

Medium Term Accommodation is temporary housing while your confirmed long-term home is not yet available. Short Term Accommodation, often called respite, covers short stays away from home, usually to give participants and families a break.

Can I have SDA and SIL at the same time?

Yes. Many participants live in an SDA home and also receive SIL support in it. The two are funded through different parts of the plan, and the NDIS decides what is included.

This guide is general information only and is subject to change. It is not advice about your individual NDIS plan. The NDIS decides what supports and housing are funded for each participant, so always confirm the detail with the NDIS or your planner.

More guides

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