Start the housing conversation early
Contact the NDIA as soon as you know a participant may need new housing support to leave. Hospital liaison officers work with hospitals to gather the evidence and help apply for home and living supports or home modifications before discharge, and the NDIA aims to contact the participant within four days of being told they're in hospital.
With the participant's consent, their updated plan is shared with their support coordinator, who can then approach providers while the patient is still on the ward.
MTA as a bridge
Medium-term accommodation (MTA) covers somewhere to live while a long-term home or the supports for it are put in place. It is generally funded for up to 90 days and covers the accommodation only, so food, utilities and personal care are arranged and funded separately.
For most participants MTA needs a confirmed long-term home. Hospital discharge is an exception: a participant eligible for SDA, SIL, individualised living options or home modifications can get MTA without one. On Home Connections, filter by Medium-term to see homes providers advertise for it.
Finding SIL and SDA homes by suburb
Search by the suburb or postcode the participant needs to be near, and filter by SIL or SDA. If there's nothing in that suburb, the search shows the nearest homes with their distance. Every listing carries the date we last saw it on the provider's website; ring the provider to confirm a place before it goes into a discharge plan.
The NDIA's SDA Finder lists SDA vacancies too, though not every vacancy is advertised there, so it's worth checking both.
What STA is for
Short-term accommodation (STA) gives a participant time away from their usual family or informal supports so carers can rest. It isn't designed for hospital discharge or crisis housing, and it isn't available to people living in SIL.
Checking a provider
SIL providers must now be registered with the NDIS Commission (or have applied before 1 October 2026), and every SDA home must be enrolled with the NDIA. You can check a provider's registration on the Commission's register.
From the NDIS and the NDIS Commission
Official pages this guide draws on, checked October 2026. Rules change, so the official pages are the final word.