NDIS housing options explained: SDA, SIL, ILO and short-term options
By The Find My SDA Team · Reviewed by Bhav Singh, Licensed Estate Agent · Published 10 Aug 2026 · Updated 15 Sep 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?.
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 has its own budget 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. The NDIS says it may suit adults who need at least 6 hours of support at home each day, but not 24-hour rostered support or frequent overnight support. 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) pays for somewhere to live when you have a confirmed long-term home but cannot move in yet because your disability supports are not ready, and you cannot stay where you live now. It covers the accommodation only, not food, bills or support, and is usually funded for up to 90 days. Different rules apply if you are leaving hospital.
Short Term Accommodation (STA), now also called short term respite, funds support for time apart from the family or friends who usually support you, so they can have a short break. It can pay for accommodation, personal care and the support you need to join activities, but not the activities themselves or your meals. It can be used in a respite house, other short stay accommodation or your own home, usually for up to 14 days at a time and 28 days a year. 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 pay for a place to live; SIL and ILO pay for the support around you; short term respite gives you and your usual supports a short break. 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 and has its own budget. 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 pays for somewhere to live, usually for up to 90 days, when your long-term home is confirmed but your disability supports are not ready and you cannot stay where you are. Short Term Accommodation, now also called short term respite, is funded support for time apart from your family or carers, usually up to 14 days at a time and 28 days a year, so they can have a short 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.
Sources
We check the facts in this guide against these official sources before it goes live.
- NDIS - Specialist disability accommodation operational guideline
- NDIS - Supported independent living operational guideline
- NDIS - Individualised living options guideline
- NDIS - Medium term accommodation guideline
- NDIS - Short term accommodation guideline
- NDIS - Short term accommodation is now called short term respite
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.