Are you keen to get a taste of what it’s like to live away from home? Would you like to spend some time with other people and have a break from your everyday life? Short Term Accommodation and Assistance (STAA) ticks both boxes, and more. 

Previously called respite care, STAA provides supported, short-term accommodation in a safe, comfortable place that’s managed by a caring team. It’s a great way to give you and your carer a bit of a break from the day-to-day routine, with the added bonus of giving you a change of scenery, access to new activities, and opportunities to meet new people. All with the full support of staff as you work towards your NDIS goals and build your personal capacity. 

Many people with disabilities use STAA as a stepping-stone to independent living. You can learn new skills – from cooking to socialising – which will come in handy when you move out of your family home. 

Let’s take a look at what to expect when you stay at a Scope STAA home, and explore how you can access funding for this service. 

Step inside Scope’s purpose-built STAA homes 

Scope has a number of well-equipped homes for short-term stays throughout Victoria. These spacious, fully accessible homes sleep between four and six people, and have everything you need for a short stay away from home. All homes are staffed with our highly experienced and trained employees, who provide support to people with a wide range of disabilities and health needs. 

Some of our homes, such as our property in Rosanna, cater for both adults and children. Specialised features and activities are ideal for children – such as a purpose-built playground, swings, basketball hoop, trampoline and other recreational equipment; along with fun, decorated bedrooms and plenty of toys and games.  

Others are designed for adults with disabilities to come and socialise, meet new friends, and explore the local area. For example, our short term accommodation in Ballarat East features a beautiful atrium, plus a spacious open plan kitchen, dining and living area – where you can chat with friends and learn new skills like menu planning and cooking. And our home in Belmont, a bustling suburb of Geelong, boasts a basketball hoop and swing in the backyard, and Xbox, Disney Plus and Netflix inside – perfect for hanging out with new friends.  

With so many fun activities in these homes and the local areas, we find that people who come to stay with us want to come back again and again. And many choose to book their stays to coincide with a friend’s stay, too.  

In our homes that cater to both children and adults, we never accommodate children and adults at the same time. 

Access funding for STAA 

Funding is available for STAA under the NDIS Core Support category ‘Assistance with Daily Living’ (Category 1). The funding covers all the basic expenses for a 24-hour stay, including accommodation, personal care, food and activities. Fee for service options are also available depending on location. 

Scope can help you get the right funding in your NDIS plan to make the most of STAA. As part of this process, we’ll help you work out how many nights you’d want to stay in short term accommodation. For example, you could do one weekend per month, or a whole week at a time.  

Then, at your next planning meeting: 

• Talk to your NDIS planner about your goals 
• Tell your planner how accessing STAA will help you achieve these goals 
• Ask for STAA funding to be part of your Core Supports in your NDIS plan 

Give STAA a try 

If you’re not sure if short-term accommodation is right for you, Scope can work with you to develop a transition plan to give you the opportunity to meet the staff and other participants and when you feel you are ready, have an overnight stay.  

To get started, explore Scope’s STAA properties or make an enquiry by filling out this form.