What is Supported Independent Living (SIL)?

With all the different support options funded by the NDIS it can be confusing.

Let’s look at one of those supports – Supported Independent Living. We’ll also look at Specialist Disability Accommodation and how they work together.

What is Supported Independent Living?

Supported Independent Living, or ‘SIL’, is what the NDIS calls the supports a person needs for their tasks around the home.

It’s for the things we do every day, including:

• Personal care, like showering and dressing
• Cooking and eating
• Cleaning
• Shopping for groceries and personal items

SIL support focuses on developing the individual’s skills to help them live as independently as possible.

SIL funding pays for the support workers who provide this assistance. It’s most often used in a shared home, for people who need support available 24/7.

It doesn’t cover rent, groceries, transport, or utility costs like gas and electricity.

A person might use SIL funding to live in:

• A place they rent privately
• The home that they own
• A home they share with others
• Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA), if they have it in their NDIS funding package

What is Specialist Disability Accommodation?

Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) funding is for people who need specialist housing solutions. These people have very high support needs and meet specific eligibility criteria. SDA houses are specially designed or modified to suit those needs.

So, SDA is the place you live in, not the supports you receive in it. You might have heard it called the ‘bricks and mortar’, to help illustrate that we’re talking about the physical building.

Importantly, the person, not the house, gets the SDA funding. This is to give people more choice and control over where they live and the services they use.

If you have funding for SDA, then you will also have SIL funding to pay for the supports you need in the SDA home.

They are separate but work together to give you the opportunity to choose how and where you live.

How can Scope help?

Whether you have SDA funding and are looking for the right home for you, or you’re just thinking about building your independence by moving out of home in the future – our Vacancy Coordination Team is here to help answer your questions.