If you’re navigating the NDIS, you’ve probably felt like you’re drowning in an alphabet soup of acronyms. From ECEI to AT, FBR to LTR. It’s a lot to take in.

But of all the complex terms, the ones that cause the most confusion—and stress—are arguably SDA, SIL, and ILO.

When you’re trying to figure out your future, or a future for your loved one, these three acronyms are the gatekeepers to living independently. But they all sound a bit the same, and the lines between them seem incredibly blurry. What’s funding for a house? What’s funding for support? If I get one, do I get the other?

You are not alone in this confusion. It is, by far, one of the most complex parts of the NDIS.

We at Heron Group Consultants spend our days helping people untangle these exact questions. The good news is, it’s simpler than it looks once you have the right analogy.

Let’s break it down in plain English.

The Easiest Analogy: “The House” vs. “The Help”

Before we go any further, let’s establish a simple mental picture.

• SDA (Specialist Disability Accommodation) = The House This is the bricks and mortar. It’s the physical building you live in, which has been specially designed or modified to suit your needs.
• SIL (Supported Independent Living) = The 24/7 Help This is the people. It’s the funding for support staff in your home, often 24/7, who help you with your daily life.
• ILO (Independent Living Options) = The Flexible Help This is the custom plan. It’s a flexible package of supports (that aren’t 24/7) to help you live independently in a way that suits you.

The most important thing to remember is this: The funding for the house (SDA) is separate from the funding for the help (SIL or ILO). You can have one without the other.

Now, let’s dive into the details of each.

What is Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA)?

Keyword Focus: “SDA is the bricks and mortar”

As we said, SDA is all about the physical building. This is funding paid by the NDIS to cover the cost of a purpose-built, accessible home. It’s for participants who have extreme functional impairment or very high support needs.

We’re not talking about a standard rental with a ramp. We’re talking about homes that are specially designed to enable independence and provide support safely.

What Does an SDA Home Look Like?

SDA homes are built to one of several design categories:

• Improved Livability: Designed for people with intellectual, cognitive, or sensory challenges. This might include features like good lighting, clear lines of sight, and easy-to-understand layouts.
• Fully Accessible: Built for people with significant physical disabilities. Think wide doorways, wide hallways, and step-free access throughout.
• Robust: Built for people who may, at times, have behaviours of concern. This includes features like secure windows, sound-proofing, and extremely resilient materials to keep the participant and their support staff safe.
• High Physical Support: This is the highest level, designed for people with needs like a ceiling hoist, automated doors, and complex assistive technology.

Who is SDA For?

It’s crucial to understand that SDA is for a very small percentage of NDIS participants (only about 6%). You must have SDA funding specifically included in your NDIS plan to live in an SDA property.

The NDIS will grant this funding if you can show that a regular home, even with modifications, just can’t meet your needs. You’ll typically need a comprehensive Functional Capacity Assessment (FCA) from an Occupational Therapist that clearly explains why you need this specialist type of housing.

The Big Misconception

The most common mistake people make is thinking that “SDA funding” pays for the support staff. It does not. SDA funding goes to the owner of the property (the SDA Provider) to cover the cost of building and maintaining that expensive, specialist home.

You will also need a separate type of funding to pay for the support staff who come and help you. That’s where SIL or ILO comes in.

What is Supported Independent Living (SIL)?

Keyword Focus: “SIL is the 24/7 support staff”

This is the one you’ve probably heard of in the context of a “group home.” SIL is funding for the support people in your home.

It’s designed for participants who have high support needs and require assistance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This includes things like:

• Help with personal care (showering, dressing).
• Assistance with cooking and meal preparation.
• Help with household tasks like cleaning.
• Support with taking medication.
• Overnight supervision (either an “active” overnight shift where staff are awake, or a “sleepover” shift).

Where Can You Have SIL?

SIL is most common in a shared living arrangement where two or more participants live together. The SIL provider (the company that employs the support staff) creates a “Roster of Care” (ROC) that covers the 24/7 needs of everyone in the house.

But, you can also have SIL funding in your own home or in an SDA property.

• You might live in a regular house (non-SDA) with two housemates and have SIL funding for 24/7 support.
• You might live in a high physical support SDA apartment (SDA) by yourself and have SIL funding for 24/7 support.

See? The house (SDA) and the help (SIL) are two separate things.

Who is SIL For?

SIL is for people whose daily support needs are high and who need someone available around the clock. It’s less about a specific disability and more about the level of support you need to be safe and live your life.

If you don’t need 24/7 support, but you do need help to live independently, then SIL might not be the right fit. You might be better suited to…

What is Independent Living Options (ILO)?

Keyword Focus: “ILO is the flexible, custom support plan”

This is the “new kid on the block” in NDIS housing, and it’s one of the most exciting. ILO is all about choice and flexibility.

ILO is not 24/7 rostered care. Instead, it’s a package of supports that is designed by you, for you. It’s a way to be independent without having to live in a group home or have support workers in your house all the time.

ILO funding is broken into two stages:

Stage 1: Exploration and Design The NDIS gives you a package of funding (usually several thousand dollars) to work with a provider (like a Support Coordinator) to design what your perfect living situation looks like. This is where you explore your options. Who do you want to live with? Where do you want to live? What support do you really need?

Stage 2: Implementation Once your plan is designed, the NDIS provides a funding package (often a set amount per year) to pay for that custom mix of supports.

What Can an ILO Package Actually Include?

This is the best part. It’s totally flexible. An ILO package is made up of a mix of formal and informal supports. This could include:

• A “Host” Arrangement: You live with a non-related person or family (the “host”). Your ILO funding gives them a stipend in return for providing a safe home and some informal support.
• A “Housemate” Arrangement: You get a housemate who pays reduced (or no) rent. In exchange, they provide an agreed-upon level of informal support, like being home at night and helping with dinner.
• Drop-in Support: Funding for support workers (formal support) to drop in at key times—maybe an hour in the morning to help you get ready and an hour at night.
• Assistive Technology: Funding for smart home devices, personal alarms, or monitoring technology.
• On-Call Support: Paying for a provider to be “on-call” so you can press a button and have someone come in an emergency.

ILO is about getting the right support, at the right time, from the right people.

Understanding NDIS Housing and Living Supports: A Quick Comparison

Let’s put it all in one place.

Feature	SDA (Specialist Disability Accommodation)	SIL (Supported Independent Living)	ILO (Independent Living Options)
What is it?	The physical house (bricks and mortar)	Funding for 24/7 support staff (people)	A flexible package of supports (the plan)
Who is it for?	Participants with extreme functional impairment (approx. 6% of NDIS)	Participants with high, 24/7 support needs	Participants who do not need 24/7 support
Key Idea:	“This is the purpose-built home I live in.”	“This pays for the staff who support me all day.”	“This pays for my custom mix of supports.”
How it’s Funded:	As a separate funding line in your NDIS plan	As a detailed quote (Roster of Care)	As a two-stage package (Design + Implementation)

So… Which One is Right for Me?

This is the million-dollar question, and the answer is: it depends entirely on your goals and your support needs.

You don’t just “choose” one. It’s a process of discovery.

1. Start with Your Goals: How do you want to live? Do you want to live alone? With friends? With a partner?
2. Get a Good Assessment: A high-quality Functional Capacity Assessment (FCA) from an Occupational Therapist is the most important document you will ever get. It’s the evidence the NDIS needs to understand what you need and why.
3. Explore Your Options: Don’t just assume a group home (SIL) is your only option. Talk to providers about ILO. Look at different housing models.

This is not a journey you should take alone. This is precisely what specialist Support Coordinators do. Their entire job is to be your expert guide, helping you find the right assessors, explore your housing options, and put together the evidence you need for your NDIS plan.

Here at Heron Group Consultants, we live and breathe this stuff. We’ve helped countless participants and their families navigate this exact maze, from getting the right assessments for SDA to designing a creative ILO package that gives them true independence.

It’s complex, but it’s not impossible. Once you understand the basic difference—that SDA is the house, and SIL/ILO is the help—you’re already halfway there.

Feeling clearer, or still have questions? Contact our expert team today. We’re here to help translate the “NDIS alphabet” into a clear plan for your future.