Three Acronyms, Three Very Different Things

If you’ve spent any time researching NDIS accommodation, you’ve probably run into SIL, SDA and ILO within the first five minutes, usually without a clear explanation of how they’re different, or why a provider might mention all three in the same breath. They get lumped together because they’re all “accommodation-related,” but they fund completely different things, and mixing them up is one of the most common reasons families end up requesting the wrong support in a plan.

Here’s the actual breakdown.

SIL: Funds the Support, Not the House

Supported Independent Living is the one people usually mean when they say “supported accommodation” generally. SIL pays for support staff, the people helping with personal care, daily tasks and household routines, in a home a participant already lives in or moves into. The home itself can be a standard rental, an owned property, or purpose-built SDA housing; SIL doesn’t care what the building is, only what support happens inside it.

Most SIL arrangements are shared, housing two to four participants with staff rostered across the household. Individual SIL exists too, for participants who need or prefer their own space, though it costs more per hour of support delivered since there’s no sharing of staff time across residents.

If you’re trying to work out whether you need SIL, the test is simple: do you need ongoing help with daily living inside a home, regardless of what that home looks like? If yes, SIL is probably the category you’re after. Read more on our Supported Independent Living page.

SDA: Funds the Building, Not the Support

Specialist Disability Accommodation is the opposite of SIL in a specific sense: it funds the physical building, not the people inside it. SDA housing is purpose-built or heavily modified: wider doorways, reinforced walls, ceiling hoists, step-free access, depending on which of the four SDA design categories applies to a participant’s needs.

SDA exists for participants with significant physical support needs or specific accessibility requirements that a standard rental genuinely can’t accommodate. It’s a Capital Supports item, and it’s not automatically included in a plan; it requires an occupational therapist’s functional capacity assessment as evidence before the NDIA will fund it.

Here’s the part that trips people up: SDA and SIL are usually a package deal, not alternatives. A participant might live in SDA-funded housing with SIL-funded support staff working inside it: two separate funding lines covering two separate things, delivered together. More detail on our Specialist Disability Accommodation page.

ILO: A Lighter Touch Than SIL

Independent Living Options sits in the space between full independence and SIL’s rostered support model. ILO suits participants who want genuine autonomy, their own place, their own schedule, but still benefit from some support structure, whether that’s periodic check-ins, informal shared-living arrangements, or technology-assisted support rather than staff physically present for set hours.

ILO is often the right fit for someone who’s outgrown a SIL arrangement but isn’t ready for zero support at all, or for a participant whose needs simply don’t require the intensity SIL provides. It’s a genuinely different funding conversation to SIL, not a smaller version of it. See our Independent Living Options page for more.

So Which One Do You Need?

As a rough guide:

– Need ongoing daily support inside a home, and the home itself doesn’t need special features? SIL.

– Need a purpose-built or heavily modified home because of physical support needs? SDA, usually alongside SIL.

– Want more independence than SIL offers, with a lighter support structure? ILO.

If you’re still not sure after reading this, that’s genuinely common; the categories overlap in ways that aren’t obvious until someone walks through your specific situation with you. For a fuller comparison including STA and CRA as well, see our Disability Accommodation Perth guide, or talk to a registered NDIS provider Perth families work with directly about what actually fits your circumstances.

Common Questions

Can I have SIL and SDA funding at the same time?

Yes, this is actually the most common arrangement for participants with high physical support needs. SDA funds the building, SIL funds the support staff inside it, and both can sit in the same plan.

Is ILO cheaper than SIL?

Generally yes, since it involves a lighter support structure, but the right comparison isn’t cost; it’s whether the level of support in each category actually matches what a participant needs day to day.

Can I move from SIL to ILO later if my needs change?

Yes, though it typically requires a plan review, since the two are funded under different arrangements.

Do I need to choose one of these, or could I need none of them?

None of them, potentially. Plenty of participants manage entirely through in-home support without ever needing SIL, SDA or ILO. These categories exist for participants whose needs specifically call for them, not as a default step everyone takes.

Contact Auscare or call 08 6364 3917 to talk through SIL, SDA and ILO in the context of your own NDIS plan.