Back in July 2022, we spoke with Colin Peterson from Infinite Automation on one of our early episodes. Today, Debbie welcomes co-founder Fenil Mangukiya to share the latest in SDA housing tech and the growing need to future-proof properties with built-in automation. Hear about key product upgrades and why simple, intuitive systems make all the difference for tenants, managers, and investors. Discover practical ways to boost your SDA property’s appeal with Infinite Automation’s local exp...

In this episode, Debbie & Kassy discuss the proposed Thriving Kids program - a federal initiative designed to support children under the age of eight with autism and developmental delays through early intervention services outside of NDIS. Debbie & Kassy cover the program's aims to reduce NDIS enrollments for children with less permanent disabilities, the planned July 2026 rollout and key funding details. They highlight concerns about transitioning existing younger NDIS participants, ...

In this episode, Minh & Debbie discuss what it takes to start an SDA development, no matter how small or large the project may be. Given the amount of enquiries coming in over the past 6 months from small developers, the podcast team felt that it was important to cover every aspect of the start to finish process that such developers would be going through. They cover the many and varied factors that need to be considered and analysed as part of the due diligence of determining whether an ...

The National SIL Summit was held on 25th and 26th September on the Gold Coast. During the event, we had a chat with Mandy & Andrew from Care Agency Services who explained their role in the industry and what they do. Essentially, Care Agency Services provides temporary staffing solutions, helping care providers around Australia fill gaps within their support teams. Operating currently in Queensland, NSW and the ACT and founded in 2012, CAS covers not only disability, but the Aged car...

In this episode, Debbie chats with a long-time Podcast listener, Uwe Jacobs from Property Friends. Uwe discusses his journey from the corporate world to property investment to delivering disability housing, and ultimately transitioning into the SDA space. Ultimately, Property Friends registered as an SDA Provider and has recently ventured into delivering modular housing as a far more time-efficient way to bring both regular properties and SDA homes to market. Uwe also discusses design conside...

Data, Design, and Desirability - represent a core framework used by experienced investors and advisors to analyze, select, and drive long-term success in SDA within the NDIS market. Data refers to the rigorous quantitative and qualitative analysis that underpins every sound SDA investment decision: Current and projected demand for SDA by region, participant demographics, and NDIS eligibility trends.Vacancy rates, supply pipeline, dwelling approvals, recent sales, and rental yields.Government ...

In this episode, Debbie welcomes back Kevin Chen from Paramount Disability Homes for a conversation about the status of the Victorian Government NDIS Housing Crisis. This major crisis is unfolding in Victoria as state government subsidies for group home support workers which have already ended at the end of 2023, have leases for these properties set to expire on 31st December 2025. This impacts approximately 5,000 NDIS participants currently residing in 600 to 700 state government-owned...

This episode has Minh sitting down once again with Kevin Chen from Paramount Disability Homes. This discussion focuses on the most frequently asked questions from investors regarding Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) - particularly about properties, management, and participant needs. The conversation covers topics such as responsibility for damages, participant eligibility for different SDA categories, provider and occupational therapist (OT) requirements, furnishing and utiliti...

SIL Landscape: Challenges and Issues A significant challenge for SIL providers is the increasing difficulty in matching participants to vacancies for sustainable, long-term placements.Many providers lack the resources or contacts with other SIL providers or support coordinators to effectively find suitable participants for their vacancies.Providers face substantial financial pressure when vacancies exist, especially when they have multiple SIL houses but only one resident, making it difficult...

In this episode, Debbie sits down with Denise & Lenore from our Data and Research team to review the recently released Housing Hub Accessible Housing and Support Data Snapshot June 2025. They take a look at the Housing Hub figures and what the tell us about what housing seekers are actually looking for, versus what properties are available through the Housing Hub search portal. As of the March quarter, there are 24,761 participants with SDA funding (the NDIS report released mid-August not...

In this episode, Debbie catches up again with Tania Gomez to talk about the recent SIL Summits around Australia in 2025 + the upcoming National SIL Summit on the Gold Coast next month in late September. This event will take place on the Gold Coast at the Mantra Legends, Surfers Paradise, GC. While the primary summit days are 25 & 26 September, (lots of sponsors and guest speakers and main sponsors like RESOLVE etc), there will be a special beachfront "Welcome Drinks" Reception spons...

This episode has Minh chatting to Kirstie Shaw from Melbourne. Kirstie chats about the gaps in disability housing, from someone who is on the ground in Melbourne, and this episode gives our listeners a better awareness on this subject. Independent Living Options (ILO) Model The ILO model (aka ILA) is intended to be a flexible model where a person can live alone, with a flatmate, or in a co-designed arrangement. However, it fails in practice because it only funds support, not housing or ...

In this episode, Debbie dives into the oversupply of Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) in Mackay, Queensland. Initial data hinted at an imbalance, but deeper analysis reveals a 132% oversupply, with over 100 excess places. The episode serves as a critical warning for investors and providers eyeing projects in the area. Key Insights: Geography & Demand: Mackay (within the Mackay-Isaac-Whitsunday SA4) houses 75% of NDIS participants and up to 90% of SDA participants in its SA3 subre...

In this episode, Minh and Debbie analyse Barwon Investments' May SDA data report, drawn from the latest NDIS quarterly report (as of 31 March 2025). Moving beyond stats, they examine key trends reshaping the SDA market's current landscape. Risk of Unsuitable SDA Properties Requiring Divestment: A portion of newly developed SDA properties may become unsuitable due to oversupply in certain regions, poor access to care providers, or suboptimal design. This could force their sale into the mainstr...

The Right Fit Australia, is a small business recently launched by Jessica Dale, and she operates a unique bridging housing brokerage service for NDIS participants. It reverse engineers the process, unlike other services, by finding participants first and then matching them with suitable properties and providers, effectively reverse engineering support coordination. Background Jessica is an experienced Support Coordinator based in Melbourne. She began working in early 2019 as a Level 2 S...

In this episode, Minh and Debbie break down a crucial aspect of Appendix H: the provision allowing SDA participants to share their homes with non-SDA eligible individuals, including family members, partners, loved ones, or even SIL participants (subject to approval from planners, SCs and other stakeholders). We were slightly familiar with Appendix H, but its full implications have only become clearer in recent months. Previously, many believed it only applied when an SDA participant liv...

In this episode, we welcome back Tania from Tania Gomez Consulting. Tania chats with Debbie about the recent NDIS Pricing Arrangements & Price Limits (applicable as of 1st July 2025) and why there is so much concern within the NDIS community over financial viability and quality of service provision following a lack of insufficient pricing increases and in some cases price cuts for certain sectors, particularly Support Coordination, Plan Management and Allied Health operators in rural/remo...

In this insightful episode of The SDA Housing Podcast, Debbie goes and visits a local Brisbane SIL Provider. She sits down with Naeem Patel, Director of Hope & Care Community, to explore the critical relationship between Supported Independent Living (SIL) and Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA). Naeem shares his journey into the NDIS space and provides valuable insights into what makes a strong SDA-SIL partnership. We discuss the features of SDA homes that truly impact p...

In this episode, Minh and Debbie review and discuss an email response from Bruce Bromley of Equal Access Group and SDA Consulting. The email letter addresses a question posed in a previous episode regarding his perspective on the current 2025 state of the play across Specialist Disability Accommodation. Bruce's expertise and leadership have made him a trusted authority in the field of Specialist Disability Accommodation assessment, ensuring safe, compliant, and accessible housing for people w...

In this episode, Minh & Debbie discuss an open letter from Katalin Jakus (Hand in Hand Support Coordination) to Ministers, outlining critical NDIS concerns: Unethical Referral Fee Practices Some NDIS providers pay referral fees to hospitals, government staff, and support coordinators.These incentives skew discharge decisions, limit provider choice, and risk care quality.Consequences include "double-dipping" (charging twice for the same service), distorted competition, and prioritising pro...