Wanting more independence at home does not necessarily mean moving into supported accommodation. There are a variety of NDIS home and living options St Albans residents can consider to maintain their independence.
For one NDIS participant, the right solution might be a few hours of disability-related assistance at home. Another person may want to move out of their family home and explore an Individualised Living Option. Someone with substantially higher support needs may require Supported Independent Living.
Then there is Specialist Disability Accommodation—which is something different again.
For participants and families in St Albans, Sunshine, Deer Park, Keilor Downs, Kings Park, Caroline Springs and surrounding communities across Melbourne’s west, understanding these differences is an important first step before making major decisions about where and how to live.
Current National Disability Insurance Scheme guidance, updated in July 2026, confirms that several different home and living supports may potentially be funded depending on a participant’s individual disability-related needs. Importantly, not every participant is eligible, and in some circumstances more than one type of home and living support may appear in a plan.
Here’s how the main options differ.
Start With the Question: What Support Do You Actually Need at Home?
Before thinking about acronyms such as SIL, ILO or SDA, start with everyday life.
Ask:
What can I currently do independently?
Where do I need disability-related assistance?
Do I need support occasionally, regularly or throughout the day and night?
Do I want to remain where I currently live or explore somewhere different?
Who would I like to live with?
What would greater independence look like for me?
These questions matter because NDIS home and living supports are not one standard package.
The NDIA considers individual circumstances and disability-related support needs.
Option 1: Assistance With Daily Life
For some participants, the appropriate support may be much simpler than a specialised living arrangement.
Assistance with Daily Life (ADL) can help with everyday activities at home.
Current NDIA guidance identifies examples such as:
- cooking;
- cleaning;
- personal care; and
- other disability-related assistance with everyday activities.
ADL is generally more relevant when someone requires targeted assistance rather than support all the time.
Imagine a participant living with family in St Albans who wants to become more independent with their morning routine, meal preparation and household activities.
They may not need Supported Independent Living.
Instead, disability-related daily living assistance could potentially support them to do more for themselves while receiving help where required.
The appropriate support depends on what is actually funded in the participant’s plan.
Option 2: Individualised Living Options
Individualised Living Options (ILO) is different.
Current NDIA guidance describes ILO as a package of supports designed to help a participant choose where they live, who they live with and how they want to be supported.
An ILO arrangement might involve living with a housemate or living in a host’s home.
The support is built around the individual rather than placing the person into a predetermined accommodation model.
Current ILO arrangements have three components.
Primary support
This is provided by someone who lives with the participant and is not related to them. It may involve a host arrangement or housemate arrangement.
Supplementary support
Additional paid or unpaid assistance can complement the primary support—for example, a support worker staying overnight or occasional assistance from family.
Monitoring and adjustment
The arrangement should be regularly reviewed to ensure it continues to work for the participant.
ILO therefore involves much more than simply finding someone a room.
The living arrangement itself needs to be designed around the participant’s needs, preferences and circumstances.
Option 3: Supported Independent Living
Supported Independent Living (SIL) is generally intended for people with substantially higher support needs.
Current NDIA guidance describes SIL as personal support for participants who need some level of help at home 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A participant might share support workers with other residents or receive individual support depending on their needs.
Support may include assistance or supervision with everyday activities while helping the participant be as independent as possible and develop skills.
This is why needing some help with cooking or cleaning does not automatically mean someone needs SIL.
The intensity of support required is an important distinction.
Important 2026 Change: SIL Providers Must Now Be Registered
Participants and families exploring SIL should be aware of a significant recent regulatory change.
From 1 July 2026, providers delivering Supported Independent Living must be registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. Existing providers have transitional arrangements, including until 1 October 2026 to apply for registration.
New SIL-specific Practice Standards also commenced on 1 July 2026. They cover supported decision-making, safeguarding, practice governance and agreements relating to tenancy, housing and support.
This is an important participant-protection development when considering SIL providers.
Option 4: Specialist Disability Accommodation
Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) is frequently confused with SIL.
They are not the same thing.
SIL concerns the support a participant receives in their home.
SDA concerns the physical dwelling itself—specialist housing designed for eligible participants with particular disability-related housing requirements.
The NDIA lists SDA separately among its home and living support options.
A participant can potentially have SDA funding for the home and separate support funding for assistance received while living there.
This distinction is particularly important when comparing accommodation advertisements.
A property being described as disability accommodation does not automatically tell you what support funding a participant has.
SIL Does Not Mean Giving Up Control of Your Home
People living in supported accommodation still have rights regarding their home and daily life.
The new SIL Practice Standards make this especially clear.
Participants should be supported to make decisions about their home, how they live, who supports them and what their goals are. Providers should use supported decision-making rather than simply making decisions on behalf of participants.
The standards also recognise participants’ involvement in decisions about who they live with.
That is a powerful distinction.
Supported living should still be someone’s home, not simply a workplace for disability support staff.
Your Housing and Support Agreements Should Be Separate
Another important protection introduced through the SIL standards concerns housing arrangements.
The NDIS Commission says participants should understand that their tenancy agreement and SIL service agreement are separate arrangements.
A tenancy agreement should not simply depend on continuing to receive support from a particular SIL provider. Participants should also understand their right to change their SIL provider without automatically losing their home.
This is particularly important when a participant is considering moving into accommodation connected with a provider.
Before agreeing, ask:
Who owns or manages the property?
Who provides my disability support?
What happens to my tenancy if I want a different support provider?
Can I change support providers without moving house?
Those are reasonable questions.
Does the NDIS Pay Your Rent?
Generally, no.
Current NDIA home and living guidance explicitly states that the NDIS does not pay ordinary rent or household bills simply because someone receives home and living supports.
NDIS funding relates to eligible disability-related supports.
This is another reason to distinguish between:
the home itself,
ordinary living expenses, and
the disability support required within the home.
SDA has different arrangements because it involves specialist disability accommodation funding for eligible participants.
Choosing Who You Live With Matters
A participant’s home should not simply be organised around provider convenience.
The NDIS Commission’s SIL standards specifically state that participants should have opportunities to make decisions about their home, including who they live with, and should be consulted before new tenants are placed in the home.
For participants considering shared arrangements around St Albans or elsewhere in Melbourne’s west, compatibility matters.
Think about routines, communication, noise, social preferences, privacy and what makes each person feel safe and comfortable.
Finding a vacancy is not the same as finding the right home.
For Families and Support Coordinators
Moving from a family home into a new living arrangement can be a major transition.
Families and Support Coordinators can help participants explore options while keeping the participant’s own preferences central.
Current NDIS Practice Standards require providers to support informed choice, autonomy and dignity of risk. Participants should have sufficient time to consider their options and seek advice.
Rather than beginning with:
“Which SIL house has a vacancy?”
a more participant-centred conversation may begin with:
“How would you like to live?”
That question can lead to very different—and potentially more suitable—options.
Talk to BHA Disability Services
If you are an NDIS participant, family member, carer, Support Coordinator or referral partner in St Albans or Melbourne’s western suburbs, BHA Disability Services welcomes enquiries about its relevant disability services.
Tell us about the participant’s goals, current living circumstances, the assistance they are seeking and what relevant supports are included in their NDIS plan.
BHA Disability Services can then discuss the services it actually provides and whether they may be appropriate for the participant’s circumstances.
The starting point should always be the participant—not a predetermined living model.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Assistance with Daily Life the same as SIL?
No. ADL can provide targeted assistance with everyday activities where a participant does not require continuous support. SIL is generally for participants with higher support needs requiring some level of support around the clock.
Is ILO the same as SIL?
No. ILO is an individually designed living arrangement involving primary, supplementary and monitoring supports. SIL provides ongoing support or supervision at home for people with higher support needs.
Is SDA the same as SIL?
No. SDA relates to specialist housing for eligible participants, while SIL relates to support delivered within a participant’s home.
Do all SIL providers need to be registered in 2026?
SIL provider registration became mandatory from 1 July 2026. Transitional arrangements apply to existing providers, including an application period through 1 October 2026.
Can I choose who I live with in SIL?
Participants should be involved in decisions about their home, including who they live with. The new SIL Practice Standards specifically require participant consultation when new tenants are being considered.
Can I change my SIL provider without losing my home?
The new SIL Practice Standards require providers to ensure participants understand that tenancy and SIL support arrangements are separate and that participants have rights to change their SIL provider. The precise position will also depend on the participant’s housing arrangements and tenancy agreement.
For authoritative current information, see the NDIS guide to home and living options, NDIS guide to Individualised Living Options and NDIS guide to Supported Independent Living.
