SDA Homes

Meeting the Minimum LHA or SDA Standard Doesn’t Work  for HPS Eligible Participants (mostly)

We see so many completed properties where the owners want us to be their SDA Provider and we have to say no.  They are approved and pass the standards, yet just aren’t suitable for the people who need High Physical Support.

Many of the standards are based off the minimum requirements for lightweight manual wheelchairs, not for a large power chair or a shower bed. Imagine driving your chair around a corner past your bed with 50mm clearance on each side, let alone if doing so with your chin.  Now some people we have met are precision drivers, but you wouldn’t want to have be precision all the time in your house.

The SDA standard is a great improvement and is there to be a minimum.  If you are looking at receiving the HPS funding then you need to well exceed the standards and spend significant money to make it work.

High Physical Support Properties Need Full Automation

If the property hasn’t got fully auto doors, lights, blinds and air conditioning at completion then it’s not suitable.  NDIS funded modifications take too long.

Minimum Sizes

1020 doors are too small.  The minimum clearance beside the beds and at the foot of the bed are too small for people in big chairs.

Corners, Showers Next to Toilets, Ramps etc

Corners get destroyed, showers next to toilets are unusable for people who shower in chairs or beds.  Ramps look like an afterthought.

Design AFTER Speaking to People Who Use Them (Not Managers or People Who Do)

Just like the new hospital wards that turn out to be completely unsuitable when the nurses finally get to see it (usually on the day they move in), many of the experts in this field don’t spend time with the support workers and participants who use them, they spend time with management or other experts.

There needs to be minimum standards to ensure a minimum, that doesn’t mean its fit for purpose.  Speak to the people who live in them or those that support them.

Taken straight from the NDIS Website

If you’re eligible for SDA, the next step is to decide what kind of SDA we will fund for you. We’ll determine the following things for you in your plan:

• a design category
• a building type
• an appropriate location.

Check out the SDA Rules for extra information.

What’s an SDA design category?

We look at your support needs to recommend the right design category.

There are five SDA design categories:

1. Basic – housing that doesn’t have special design features. Basic dwellings are normally older housing built before the NDIS started. Funding for this is only included in your plan if you’ve lived here before, and choose to continue living here.
2. Improved Liveability – housing that includes better physical access. It also has more features for people with sensory, intellectual or cognitive impairments.
3. Fully Accessible – housing that includes a high level of physical access features for people with lots of physical challenges.
4. Robust Construction – housing that includes a high level of physical access. It must be very strong and durable, reducing the chance of repairs and upkeep. The way it is built should make it safe for you and others. Robust dwellings may suit people who need help managing behaviours of concern.
5. High Physical Support – housing that includes a high level of physical access for people with significant physical impairment. This SDA is designed to help people who need very high levels of support.

Working out the right SDA design category for you

We look at your individual needs when determining your SDA design category.

You may need other supports, so we’ll also look at how the features of each design category would help facilitate them.

A design category isn’t appropriate for you if it makes it harder to get other supports. Or, if it would be risky for your health and safety.

When we determine your design category, we will look at reports from your doctor or other health professionals. We also look at your goals and aspirations.

We will consider things like whether you need additional space around your bed, bathroom or kitchen to be able to use them. Or if your care needs require particular features.

Usually, we select the design category that helps you receive your other supports and has the features you need to live there. We will also think about the support model that best suits your needs.

What SDA building types are there?

There are five building types:

• Apartments – self-contained units that are part of a larger residential building.
• Duplexes, Villas, Townhouses – separate but semi-attached properties within a single land title or strata titled area. This also includes standalone villas or ‘granny flats’.
• Houses – detached low rise dwellings with garden or courtyard areas.
• Group Homes – houses that hold up to five long-term residents.
• Larger Dwellings – houses that house more than five long-term residents. This is also called “Legacy”. Larger dwellings are only for participants who already lived in this type of house, before their first plan.

Determining the right SDA building type for you

Your individual needs help us work out the SDA building type that’s best for you.

We think about the features of each building type, and which would meet your needs best. We also look at how the building type would help in:

• providing your other supports
• whether it would better allow you to pursue your goals
• if it would be more likely (than another building type) to improve outcomes for you.

Key things we also think about are:

• what kind of building you’d like to live in
• if it works with the support model you need
• whether the building type is value for money.

Generally, the lowest cost building type that meets your individual needs will be what we fund.

How do we work out the right SDA location?

We’ll include an SDA location in your plan. An example of an area is Queensland – Brisbane – East. Or, Tasmania – Launceston and North East.

We decide the location by understanding:

• where you live now and where you’ve lived before
• where you’d like to live
• how the location would help you pursue your goals
• how you could access community and mainstream services
• how the location would help you connect with community or culture
• how the location will help you stay in touch with informal supports like family and friends.

If you have more than one place you would be happy to live in, we can include more than one location.

What’s the best support model for me?

When we determine your SDA type and location, we will also look at what kind of support model you need.

A support model is how your person-to-person supports are delivered. It includes where those supports are provided. It also includes how your SDA and person-to-person supports work with other supports, such as assistive technology.

SDA is designed to work with a number of different support models.

Examples include:

• support provided in your SDA
• ‘concierge’ support, which is available quickly to a number of SDA dwellings inside the one building
• ‘mobile’ support, which is available quickly to a number of SDA dwellings within a short distance from one another.

For example, you might need immediately available person-to-person support. But if you can be alone safely sometimes, the best support model for you may be concierge or mobile support.

If you are eligible for SDA, we can also consider Personal Care Supports or Supported Independent Living (SIL) in your plan.

We look at reports from your doctor or other health professionals when considering what kind of support model you need.

We know that your support model may change over time. For SDA we consider how often you need access to your other supports and how quickly you need to access them.

The other parts of your support model will be included in your plan individually. They are not linked to the SDA supports in your plan.

NDISP and Yellow Card Helpers Furnished Another High Physical Support Specialist Disability Accommodation Property

The Yellow Card Helpers furniture crew fitted out another one of NDISP’s SDA properties ready for move in today.

Video Fly Through of Sunshine Coast MTA

Robust Housing Has Varying Degrees Above the Standard

The Standard for SDA Robust Housing is:

• Liveable Housing Australia ‘Silver’ level.
• Resilient but inconspicuous materials that can withstand heavy use and minimises the risk of injury and neighbourhood disturbance including:
• high impact wall lining, fittings and fixtures (e.g. blinds, door handles);
• secure windows, doors and external areas;
• appropriate sound proofing if residents are likely to cause significant noise disturbances (if required must retro-fit in new builds if not previously installed at building stage); and
• laminated glass.
• Layout with areas of leaving or retreat for staff and other residents to avoid harm if required.
• Consideration must be given to providing adequate space and safeguards throughout the property to accommodate the needs of residents with complex behaviours.

NDISP SDA Robust Housing

NDISP has been working hard with providers on SDA Robust housing for a long time.  We were only going to introduce robust designs into our portfolio of properties once we knew as much about them as we did about High Physical Support and Fully Accessible.  We also wanted to spend a lot of time with various care providers in this space making sure that we could identify best practice.

All NDISP Robust Housing Include:

• 3m high ceilings
• impact check walls (over ply or 300mm stud spacing – builder dependent)
• laminated glass windows
• double framed cavity walls between bedrooms with insulated cavity for sound proofing
• double framed walls with TV recessed into wall behind perspex framed into wall for smooth, inconspicuos but damage resistant surface
• solid core doors with 4 hinges to metal door frame
• dimmable LED recessed lighting
• warm and calming colour schemes
• designs to feel as far from institutional as possible
• No shower screens
• No sharp edges to cabinetry
• Ensuites to Every Bedroom
• Soundproof Secure OOA
• Front facades indistinguishable from neighbouring properties

NDISP SDA Robust Housing Can Also Include:

• separate lockable butlers pantry with fridge/freezer, additional sink, hotter water, and sharp, heavy or breakable objects can be stored
• almost self contained living area inside the dwelling for each participant
• significant separation and minimal numbers of participants (if not individually separated villas)
• large outdoor areas and large block

We always work with care providers, participants, and their loved ones as may be appropriate for the particular situation to ensure that our properties not only exceed the standard, but are fit for purpose.

SDA Consulting Has a Great Guide to the Highest Degree

Whilst we don’t currently work with them, SDA Consulting’s How to Design and Build Robust Housing  contains a guide on how to build robust housing.  The photos below are taken from their site to illustrate their designs and also to encourage interested parties for this level of SDA to visit their site (NDISP may also do Robust to the highest degree).  As acknowledge by them, some of their components (as are some of ours) may be considered restrictive practices.  Their design recommendations include:

• the kitchen is locked off and through a servery;
• The meals area is picnic bench style
• Outdoor areas have unscaleable walls

One of 5 SDA Houses about to finish on QLD’s Sunshine Coast.  5 More about to start, plus 12 units.

Thanks to DB Construct -Finished 2019 Flat Out

Daryl and the team at DB Construct finished 2019 flatout.  They managed to pour a slab in Nambour and put a roof on in Aura on the last day of the building year and did it well.

Daryl, Shawn, Matt and the team have been flat out this month getting our Sunshine Coast builds out of the ground.  4 for the month of December, another 5 in January starting while these are still going.

We just can’t talk highly enough of how great it is working with these guys ( and Kate too).  Not only do they do great work and are super organised, they are genuinely lovely people.

Thanks team. Looking forward to working with you to get more than a hundred people out of inappropriate accommodation and into places they are happy to call home on the Sunshine Coast in 2020.

First of 5 Sunshine Coast SDA Property Builds Starting in December

It was great to see Daryl and the team from DB Construct on site yesterday starting the construction of the first of 5 Sunshine Coast SDA Builds start.  Another one starts tomorrow and then the rest next week.

Follow the progress of our builds by watching our live camera feeds thanks to Site Cams.

This SDA property in Aura, near Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast with great flat footpaths, parks and shops really close by.

Choice 3H 

This property is the first Choice 3 SDA (Specialist Disability Accommodation) property on the Sunshine Coast and I know our tenants are really excited about their new home.

NDISP has started installing timelapse construction cameras on selected construction sites to allow our tenants and owners to keep an eye on progress.  The feed above is to a Freedom 4, 4 x 2 bed unit place in Morningside in Brisbane’s inner east.  The property pole is in and as soon as Energex moves the power cable from the house to the pole then demolition will commence.  This is followed by excavation and retaining of this site of around 1500mm in some places to allow a nice flat block for us to start building.

Link to our SDA Property Construction Camera Feeds

Should look a little different when done.