What is Individualised Living Options (ILO) Under the NDIS?
Most people have heard of Supported Independent Living (SIL). Far fewer have heard of Individualised Living Options (ILO) even though ILO can be a better fit for many NDIS participants who want more choice and freedom. You've come to the right place because Better Care offers ILO as one of our main supports.
If you or a family member is thinking about moving out of home, changing living arrangements, or finding an alternative to traditional shared supported accommodation, understanding the difference between ILO and SIL is an important place to start.
This guide explains:
What ILO is
How ILO compares with SIL
What different ILO living arrangements can look like
Who ILO may suit
How the ILO funding and assessment process works
What day-to-day life in an ILO arrangement might look like
This guide is specifically for NSW participants, including people living across the Central Coast, Newcastle, Maitland and Port Stephens.
So, what is ILO?
ILO stands for Individualised Living Options. ILO is an NDIS support that helps you make choices about:
where you live
who you live with
how you want to be supported.
The key idea is simple: the person comes first. Rather than starting with an existing house, roster or group living arrangement, ILO starts with the participant. You explore what kind of life you want, who you would like to live with, what support you need at home and what arrangements might work best for you.
Your living arrangement is then designed around those preferences and support needs.
An ILO arrangement might involve living with a host, sharing a home with a housemate, living independently with regular support, or combining different types of formal and informal support.
ILO supports can include help with:
making decisions about where and how you want to live
setting up and managing your own home
personal care
building daily living skills
household tasks such as cooking, cleaning and laundry.
ILO can also work alongside support from family, friends, community services and other NDIS supports.
The NDIS describes ILO as a package of supports designed to help a participant choose where and how they live in a way that best suits them.
ILO vs SIL: What's the difference?
ILO vs SIL is one of the most common questions families and support coordinators ask and the answer comes down to how the support is designed.
Supported Independent Living (SIL)
SIL is generally designed for participants who need significant support with daily living tasks across the day and week.
SIL often involves shared living with other NDIS participants and a structured support model, which may include regular or ongoing rostered support.
The support model is usually closely connected to a particular home or shared living arrangement.
Individualised Living Options (ILO)
ILO is more personal and flexible.
It is designed around the individual participant's preferences, relationships, goals and support needs. The participant's chosen living arrangement comes first, and the support package is designed around that arrangement.
An ILO may involve:
living in the home of a host
sharing a home with a housemate
living with chosen friends or other people
living independently with structured drop-in support
a combination of paid and unpaid support.
The simplest way to think about it is:
SIL is generally built around a structured support model.
ILO is built around the person's chosen way of living.
ILO is also designed to be more personal and flexible. It is not necessarily tied to one specific provider-owned property or a predetermined group of housemates.
For some participants, ILO can offer more privacy, more choice about who they live with and a less institutional feel.
That does not mean ILO is automatically better than SIL. The right option depends on the participant's support needs, goals and circumstances. Some participants may be suitable for different home and living supports at different points in their lives.
A support coordinator, my NDIS contact or other experienced professional can help explore which option may be the best fit.
The NDIS describes ILO as support that helps participants choose where they live, who they live with and how they want to be supported, while SIL is designed to provide significant day-to-day support to help a person live as independently as possible.
What living arrangements can ILO support?
One of the biggest advantages of ILO is that there is no single model that works for everyone.
The arrangement is designed around the participant.
Living with a host
A participant may live in the home of an approved host who provides primary support as part of the ILO arrangement.
This can provide a more family-like or household-based environment, with support built into everyday life. The participant still has their own goals, preferences and routines, while the host provides agreed support within the home.
Living with a housemate
A participant may share a home with another person or people. This could be a chosen housemate or a living arrangement designed around compatible needs and preferences.
Additional support workers can provide support when needed, alongside the support provided through the household arrangement.
Living independently with support
Some participants may prefer to live in their own home.
In this type of arrangement, support may include regular visits from support workers, help with personal care and household tasks, support to build skills, and additional or on-call support where appropriate.
The participant has their own home and daily routines, with a support package designed around what they need to live as independently as possible.
Blended arrangements
An ILO arrangement can also combine different types of support.
For example, a participant may live with a housemate, receive regular paid support, spend time with family and have additional support available when their usual arrangements change.
This flexibility is one of the key features of ILO.
The NDIS describes ILO arrangements as including host and housemate arrangements, with primary supports, supplementary supports and regular monitoring and adjustment to help ensure the arrangement continues to work for the participant.
Who is ILO suited to?
ILO may be worth exploring if you are an adult with disability who wants more say over where and how you live.
It may suit participants who:
want more choice about their home and living arrangements
want to live with people they choose
are considering moving out of the family home
want an alternative to a traditional shared supported accommodation model
have support needs that can be met through a combination of formal and informal supports
want to build greater independence and daily living skills
are ready to invest time and effort into exploring their future home and living options.
The NDIS states that ILO may be suitable for people aged 18 or over (or people aged 17 who are thinking about their future living arrangements) who need support at home for at least six hours each day and are ready to explore their options.
That does not mean every person who meets these points will automatically receive ILO funding. The NDIS will consider the participant's individual circumstances, support needs and goals.
For people who require intensive support throughout the day and week, SIL may be a more appropriate option. For others, ILO can provide a more flexible and personalised approach.
How does the ILO assessment and funding process work?
The ILO process happens in stages.
Understanding those stages is important because many families assume they need to have their entire future living arrangement worked out before they can start.
They don't.
Step 1: Raise ILO as a home and living goal
If ILO is not currently included in your NDIS plan, you can raise the possibility with your NDIS contact, support coordinator or NDIA planner.
You may discuss ILO during your next plan review or when asking for a review of your current supports.
It is worth starting the conversation early.
Families should not wait until a crisis, breakdown in the current living arrangement or sudden need to move before exploring home and living options.
Step 2: Exploration and Design
The first stage of ILO is called Exploration and Design.
This is where the participant works with an ILO provider or specialist to explore possibilities and design an arrangement that reflects their goals and preferences.
You may explore questions such as:
Where would I like to live?
Who would I like to live with?
What support do I need at home?
What can I do independently?
What support could come from family, friends or the community?
What paid support might I need?
What would happen if my usual support person was unavailable?
How will the arrangement be monitored and adjusted over time?
The NDIS says this stage is generally funded for between 30 and 100 hours, depending on the participant's support needs.
This stage is extremely important. It is not simply paperwork before the "real" support begins. It is the opportunity to properly explore what the participant wants their life at home to look like.
Step 3: Develop the ILO service proposal
Once the preferred arrangement and support model have been explored, a service proposal is developed. The proposal describes the participant's ideal living situation within the approved budget. It sets out the proposed arrangement, the supports required and how those supports will work together.
The proposal helps the NDIA decide what ILO supports should be included in the participant's plan.
Step 4: Put the ILO arrangement in place
Once the service proposal is approved, the participant can work with their providers to put the chosen arrangement into place. This may include arranging primary supports, supplementary supports and a plan for monitoring and adjusting the arrangement over time.
Step 5: Monitor and adjust
An ILO arrangement is not supposed to be a "set and forget" arrangement. Regular monitoring helps make sure the support continues to work for the participant.
The monitoring plan may cover:
how often the arrangement is reviewed
who is involved in monitoring
how issues are identified
how concerns are raised
how problems are resolved
how the arrangement can change as the participant's needs change.
This ongoing flexibility is one of the reasons ILO can be a good option for people whose support needs or life circumstances may change over time.
What does daily life look like in an ILO arrangement?
Because ILO is individualised, there is no standard "ILO day".
That is really the point.
For example, imagine a participant living with a host.
Their week might include:
morning support from the host with breakfast and getting ready
support from a worker to attend appointments or access the community
time spent independently pursuing hobbies or personal interests
family visits during the week
additional support at times when the host is working or unavailable
weekends spent with family or participating in community activities.
Another participant may live independently in their own home.
Their support might include:
a support worker visiting in the morning
assistance with personal care or breakfast preparation
support with shopping, cooking or household tasks
a second visit in the evening
regular monitoring and check-ins
additional support available when needed.
The important thing is that these arrangements can be designed differently because the people themselves are different.
There is no requirement for every participant to live the same way, follow the same routine or receive the same mix of support.
ILO in the Central Coast, Newcastle, Maitland and Port Stephens
For many people in regional areas, staying close to family, friends and familiar communities is incredibly important.
That is one reason ILO can be particularly worth exploring across areas such as the Central Coast, Newcastle, Maitland and Port Stephens.
A participant may want to remain close to the people, places and communities they already know rather than move into a group home or relocate to a different area because that is where a particular supported accommodation vacancy happens to be available.
A local provider with genuine knowledge of the area can help explore what may be possible.
That might include:
understanding the participant's preferred suburbs and communities
exploring suitable host or housemate opportunities
considering local support networks
identifying how formal and informal supports could work together
designing an arrangement that fits the participant's real life, not just their NDIS plan.
For families in places such as Gosford, Wyong, Woy Woy, Erina, Newcastle, Maitland, Raymond Terrace, Port Stephens and surrounding communities, the right home and living solution may be closer than they think.
The starting point is often a conversation about what the participant actually wants.
What ILO funding does and doesn't cover
ILO funding is for disability-related supports that help a participant live in their chosen arrangement.
It may include support with:
making decisions about where and how to live
setting up and managing a home
personal care
building skills
household tasks
additional support alongside the primary living arrangement.
However, ILO funding does not pay for the home itself.
It does not generally cover:
rent or mortgage repayments
everyday living expenses such as food or electricity
home modifications
the cost of the property where you live
non-NDIS supports
activities outside the home, such as work, study, sport or going out.
As with any NDIS support, it is important to understand exactly what is and is not included in the participant's plan.
The NDIS also advises participants and ILO providers to seek independent financial advice before agreeing to an ILO arrangement, as payments received through an ILO may have tax implications.
Is ILO worth exploring?
For some participants, yes! If you want more say over where you live, who you live with and how support fits into your life, ILO may provide an alternative to more traditional supported living arrangements.
The biggest benefit of ILO is that it starts with the person. It's for participants who want to remain connected to family and community, live with people they choose, develop greater independence or create a home that feels genuinely like their own.
The Exploration and Design stage is often the best place to begin. You do not need to have every answer before starting the conversation. The purpose of the process is to explore what might be possible and work towards an arrangement that fits.
Thinking about ILO for yourself or a family member?
Choosing a home and living arrangement is an important decision. It is completely understandable to have questions about what might be possible, how funding works and whether ILO or SIL is the right fit.
Our support services can help you explore your options, understand the process and take the next step at a pace that works for you. If an Individualised Living Option (ILO) is right for you, Better Care can support you with a range of houses and living arrangements designed around your needs.
If you are based on the Central Coast, Newcastle, Maitland, Port Stephens or surrounding areas, get in touch for a chat about what working with Better Care for an ILO arrangement looks like for you.
