How to find disability housing in Adelaide

People searching for disability housing in Adelaide are often looking for two things at once: somewhere to live and the support to live there. In South Australia those usually come from different places, paid for in different ways, and the search goes faster once you know which pieces you need.

This guide sets out the main options, what each one needs in funding or eligibility, where vacancies are actually listed, the questions worth asking before you say yes, and what to do if you need somewhere now.

Start with the funding: the NDIS pays for support, not rent

The NDIS Supports Transitional Rules 2024 list housing for people with disability as generally not an NDIS support, other than for participants eligible for specialist disability accommodation (SDA). They also exclude rent, rental bonds and household bills. So in almost every arrangement, rent or board comes from your own income, and the NDIS pays for the support you need at home.

That gives three questions to answer before you search. Does your plan, or could it, fund support in a shared living arrangement (SIL)? Are you eligible for SDA? And if neither, are you eligible for public or community housing, or looking at private rental with supports coming in? Your answers rule options in and out.

The housing options in Adelaide, and what each one needs

Most people end up in one of these. Some move between them, for example from medium term accommodation into a SIL home once a room opens.

• SIL shared homes. The Rules describe this support as assistance with or supervision of daily living tasks in a shared living environment. You live with housemates in a home run by a provider, with staff on a roster, often 24/7. Needs: SIL funding in your plan for the support, plus rent from your own income.
• Specialist disability accommodation (SDA). Housing built or modified for people with extreme functional impairment or very high support needs. The NDIS funds the building through the SDA payment; support inside is funded separately, often as SIL. Needs: SDA stated in your plan.
• Supported residential facilities (SRFs). A South Australian option: privately operated group homes for people who need lower levels of help, with personal care, medication monitoring, meals, laundry and cleaning. Fees are based on income. Needs: no NDIS plan required; the facility assesses health, personal care needs and other factors.
• Public and community housing. SA Housing Trust and community housing providers rent homes to people with disability or medical needs, some with modifications such as ramps and accessible bathrooms. Needs: to be eligible and registered on the single housing register.
• Private rental with supports. You rent in the ordinary market and support workers come to you. Needs: a tenancy you can afford, and NDIS funding for supports such as personal care and household tasks. SA Housing Trust Private Rental Assistance can help with a bond guarantee or rent in advance if you are eligible.
• Medium term or short term accommodation while you wait. The Rules include medium term accommodation where you cannot move into long-term housing because it, or your supports, are not ready and where you live now is not suitable. Short term accommodation and respite are a separate support. Needs: each stated in, or funded by, your plan.

Where vacancies are actually listed

There is no single list of every disability home in Adelaide. Use several of these at once.

• Provider vacancy pages. Providers that run their own homes list rooms on their websites. ResicareSA's vacancies page shows each home's status as our housing team last confirmed it: room free, waitlist or full. You can also register for alerts when a room opens.
• Housing Hub (housinghub.org.au). A national listings platform that brings SDA, SIL, individualised living option and other accessible housing into one search. It is free to join as someone looking for a home.
• SA Housing Trust. Register for public, Aboriginal and community housing through Housing Connect online (you need a myID with at least Standard identity strength) or at an SA Housing Trust office. There is one register for all three. Phone 131 299.
• SRF listings. The SA Government directs people to the Catalyst Foundation Seniors Information Service for SRF information and vacancy listings. Each SRF is licensed by its local council, which can confirm a facility's licence.
• Your support coordinator's network. Coordinators hear about rooms before they are advertised, especially for SIL homes that are matching a new housemate.

Public and community housing: how the register works

SA Housing Trust keeps a single housing register for public, Aboriginal and community housing, and you can choose interest in public housing, community housing or both. Public housing is for people on low incomes; community housing is for people on low or moderate incomes and is managed by not-for-profit community housing providers, some of which also provide SDA.

Eligible applicants are placed in one of four categories by need and urgency. Category 1 covers people with the most urgent needs and significant barriers to accessing or keeping private housing, and the Trust says around 85% of public housing is allocated to Category 1 applicants. Record any modifications you need on your registration, and reply to the yearly letter asking you to confirm your registration: you must respond to stay registered.

Questions to ask before you say yes

Whatever the option, visit, ideally more than once, and ask for answers in writing.

• Who owns the house, who provides the support, and are they the same organisation? If so, what happens to my home if I change support provider?
• What is the rent or fee, what does it include (utilities, internet, meals), and how and when can it change?
• Who would I live with, and how are new housemates matched?
• What are the staffing levels during the day, overnight and on weekends?
• Is the provider registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission? This matters if your plan is NDIA-managed.
• How far is it from family, my day program or work, my GP and public transport?
• Can I have a trial stay or a few visits first?

How a support coordinator helps

Support coordination is an NDIS support that helps you understand and use your plan and connect with providers and mainstream services. For housing, that usually means finding and contacting vacancies, collecting the evidence for a SIL or SDA request, and comparing quotes. The Rules also list support with transition to new living arrangements and help to apply for a rental tenancy as NDIS supports, which can matter if you are moving out of the family home for the first time.

If you do not have support coordination, ask for it at your next plan reassessment and say it is for a housing move. In the meantime, providers with homes will talk you through what their homes need in a plan.

Where ResicareSA fits, and what to do next

ResicareSA's homes are in Adelaide's north, north-east, west and south, and in regional South Australia at Kadina, Wallaroo, Whyalla, Port Augusta, Loxton and Suttontown near Mount Gambier. We provide SIL only in our own homes. If you live in your own home anywhere in South Australia, we provide personal care and daily living support there. We also run one SRF, in Hawthorn.

If you need somewhere to stay tonight, phone Homeless Connect SA on 1800 003 308. Otherwise, start with the vacancies page, check the funding in your plan against the options above, and enquire about any home that fits.

Questions people ask