THE SDA HOUSING PODCAST
The SDA Housing Podcast is a leading voice in the Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) sector, delivering in-depth discussions, expert insights, and the latest updates related to housing solutions for people with disabilities. Through interviews with industry leaders, advocates, and lived-experience voices, we explore policy developments, innovative best practices, and real-world stories shaping the future of disability housing. Listeners will gain valuable knowledge on emerging trends, sector challenges, and inspiring success stories, making this podcast an essential resource for investors, providers, advocates, and anyone passionate about inclusive housing. Debbie – General Manager, NDIS Property Australia: With over 20 years of expertise in tourism, finance, and property, Debbie has played a pivotal role in transforming NDIS Property Australia from a two-person team to a 22-member powerhouse. Her leadership drives the successful marketing, sales, and development of SDA properties nationwide, working closely with builders, designers, lenders, and support providers to ensure high-quality, compliant housing solutions. Minh – Founder, NDIS Property Australia: A visionary in the SDA space, Minh is dedicated to accelerating the delivery of purpose-built disability housing across Australia. By fostering collaboration among stakeholders, investors, and NDIS participants, he champions choice, control, and dignity for people with disabilities, ensuring they have access to homes that truly meet their needs. Together, Debbie and Minh are committed to ethical, sustainable, and impactful solutions in the SDA sector, bridging gaps and driving meaningful change. Engaging with the SDA Community: Each week, we feature guest speakers from across the sector, sharing their expertise, experiences, and contributions to social impact in SDA. From innovative housing designs to policy advocacy, our conversations highlight how we can collectively improve living options for NDIS participants. As the SDA landscape evolves, we invite you—our listeners—to join us on the journey. Whether you're an investor, provider, advocate, builder, developer, parents of participants, or simply passionate about inclusive housing, this podcast equips you with the knowledge to make a difference in the lives of People with Disabilities (PWDs). Share Your Story: Have an SDA journey you’d like to share? We’d love to hear from you! 📞 Call us: 1300 254 397 📧 Email us: podcast@ndis.property 🌐 Visit us: www.ndis.property Join the conversation and help shape a more inclusive future in disability housing.
Episodes
Uwe Jacobs from Property Friends joins us again to chat with Debbie, focusing on the real-world challenges and opportunities faced by Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) providers in Australia.
The discussion candidly covers the issues of cash flow delays, administrative and compliance burdens with the NDIA/NDIS, pitfalls in payment systems, and the operational difficulties that providers encounter—especially for those consid...
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...
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 ...
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 anal...
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...
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 properti...
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,...
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...
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 occupati...
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 ha...
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 participan...
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 ...
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 ...
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...
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 pro...
The Right Fit Australia, recently launched by Jessica Dale, is a unique bridging housing brokerage service for NDIS participants. It finds participants first and then matches them with suitable properties and providers, effectively reverse-engineering support coordination.
Background
Jessica is a Melbourne-based Support Coordinator with expertise in complex cases since 2019. She specialises in advocating for Participants to ensure t...
In this episode, Minh and Debbie explore Appendix H—a pricing rule allowing SDA participants to live with non-eligible individuals (family, partners, or even SIL participants, with approval).!
What Is Appendix H?
- Appendix H is a pricing provision within the SDA pricing arrangements that addresses how SDA funding is calculated when a participant lives with people who are not eligible for SDA.
- This most often occurs when an NDIS pa...
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 Coordinati...
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 dis...
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 assessm...
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