Many families start the Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) search the wrong way: they search for "any available SDA" and sort out location later. The problem is that location isn't an afterthought in SDA. It's the decision that shapes everything else. Where your family member lives determines how often you can visit, which community connections they maintain, and what daily life actually looks like.

If you're searching for SDA in Victoria, this guide gives you a framework for approaching that search location-first, whether you're in Melbourne, Geelong, Ballarat, or anywhere in between. If you're still working through the eligibility process, the SDA assessment process is worth reading first.

For families already focused on Melbourne specifically, our how to find SDA housing in Melbourne guide covers the city in more detail. This post takes a broader look at Victoria as a whole.

Why Location Should Come First in Your SDA Search

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) gives participants genuine choice in where they live. SDA funding is tied to your family member's plan, not to a specific property. That means you're not stuck with whichever home happens to be available: you have real grounds to prioritise location.

This matters because proximity to family affects wellbeing in measurable ways. A home that's 20 minutes from your house means weekly visits are realistic. A home that's two hours away means monthly visits at best. For many participants, those family connections are central to how they experience daily life.

We've written more about this in why proximity to family matters in SDA location decisions, and it's a principle that shapes everything PDH does. Our homes are in suburbs where families already have roots.

One honest note: availability does vary by location across Victoria, so there's always a balance between your ideal suburb and what's realistically on offer. The right approach is to start with your location priorities before you start compromising. Don't work backwards from supply.

Where SDA Housing Is Available Across Victoria

Specialist disability accommodation in Victoria is not evenly distributed. Understanding where supply is concentrated helps you calibrate expectations before you begin contacting providers.

Metropolitan Melbourne

Metropolitan Melbourne has the largest concentration of SDA in Victoria. The northern, eastern, and western suburbs all have established providers, with inner Melbourne and growth corridors also well represented. You'll find the widest range of design categories here, including High Physical Support (HPS) properties, which are largely concentrated in metro Melbourne. Public transport access is generally strong across the metropolitan area, which is a practical consideration for participants and families alike.

The NDIS Specialist Disability Accommodation explained page provides official guidance on SDA design categories if you're still working out which category your family member needs.

Regional Victoria

SDA does exist outside Melbourne, but supply is more limited. Here's an honest picture of the main regional centres:

Geelong is Victoria's second-largest city and has a growing SDA market. More providers are active here than in smaller regional centres, and it's worth enquiring directly about what's available.

Ballarat and Bendigo both have some options, but the provider base is smaller. Families in these areas may find fewer design category choices and longer searches, particularly for HPS properties.

Mornington Peninsula has some SDA supply, particularly for families who want a coastal setting and are not dependent on city-centre infrastructure.

Latrobe Valley and Gippsland have limited options. It's worth contacting providers directly, but be prepared for the search to take longer than in Melbourne.

Other regional centres tend to have very limited supply. If your family is based in a smaller regional town, it's worth being clear-eyed early about whether a Melbourne option might need to come into consideration.

A Framework for Evaluating Victoria Locations

Before you start contacting SDA providers across Victoria, answer these three questions. They'll help you build a "location priority list" rather than targeting a single suburb and getting stuck when supply doesn't match.

1. Where does your family currently live?

Map a radius around the family home: within 30 minutes for weekly visits, within an hour for fortnightly visits. Be honest with yourself about what "close enough" actually means for your family's capacity. A location that requires a two-hour round trip will feel manageable at first and become a barrier over time.

Also consider where your family member's existing friendships, familiar places, and community connections are. Moving them to a suburb with excellent SDA supply but no connection to places and people they know trades one problem for another.

2. What design category does your family member need?

Design category directly affects availability. Improved Liveability (IL) properties have broader supply across Victoria. Fully Accessible (FA) and Robust (RB) are reasonably available in metro Melbourne. HPS properties are largely concentrated in Melbourne, with limited options in regional areas.

If your family member requires HPS, a regional-first search may not be realistic. Cross-referencing design category with location gives you a practical picture of how difficult the search will be in your preferred areas.

3. What community connections matter most?

Cultural community connections are significant for many NDIS participants. Melbourne's northern and eastern suburbs, for example, have strong multicultural communities that may matter to some families. Healthcare relationships also count: if your family member already sees specialists at a particular hospital, staying within reasonable distance of that facility is worth weighing up. Day programmes, employment, and education commitments can also anchor the right location.

Bringing these three answers together gives you a ranked set of areas to focus on, with built-in flexibility for when your first preference has limited supply.

If your priorities point to Melbourne's northern or eastern suburbs, browse our available SDA homes to see what we have across those areas.

How to Search for SDA Providers in Your Target Area

Finding SDA providers in Victoria is a step-by-step process. The more systematic you are, the fewer weeks you waste waiting to hear back from the wrong providers.

1. Use the NDIS SDA Finder to identify registered SDA providers operating in your target locations. Filter by your preferred area and your family member's approved design category. The Finder shows registered providers by location: contact each one directly to ask about current vacancies and any upcoming properties.
2. Search provider websites directly. Many providers list their available properties and upcoming developments on their own sites, separate from the Finder.
3. Ask your support coordinator. Support coordinators often know which providers are actively working in specific areas and which upcoming developments haven't yet been publicly advertised. This insider knowledge can save weeks.
4. Contact multiple providers at the same time. Don't wait for a response from one before approaching others. Supply is limited and parallel outreach is the practical approach.
5. For regional Victoria specifically, your local Area Coordinator (LAC) may have knowledge of which providers service your region. They're worth contacting early.

When you do reach out to providers, be upfront about your location priorities and why they matter. A good provider will tell you what they have, what's coming, and whether your preferred area is realistic for your family member's design category.

Once you've identified providers in your target area, how to choose an SDA provider in Victoria covers what to look for in more detail.

Melbourne vs Regional Victoria: Honest Trade-offs

There's no universally right answer here, but there are real differences worth understanding.

Metropolitan Melbourne offers more providers, more design category options, more established Supported Independent Living (SIL) providers and allied health networks, and generally better public transport accessibility. For most NDIS participants, Melbourne will offer more options more quickly. That's the reality.

Regional Victoria has its own genuine advantages. Some families find quieter living environments better suited to their family member's needs. For families based outside Melbourne, regional SDA means your loved one can stay in your community rather than relocating to a city where they don't have roots. Some families report shorter wait times for Improved Liveability properties in certain regional areas, though this varies and is worth asking providers about directly rather than assuming.

The honest reality is this: if a family is based in Geelong and all their social connections are there, exploring Melbourne SDA first because supply is better may not be the right answer. The framework in the previous section helps each family reach their own answer, rather than defaulting to "wherever has availability."

Starting Your SDA Search in Victoria

The search for SDA in Victoria takes time. Most families spend weeks to months, and regional families often take longer. That's genuinely difficult, and we won't pretend otherwise.

The best way to make that time shorter is to start with clarity about what you're actually looking for. Know your location priorities before you start contacting providers. Know which design category your family member needs. Know which community connections matter enough to anchor the search.

Paramount has SDA homes across Melbourne, including in northern suburbs like Preston and Reservoir, and eastern suburbs including Box Hill and Ringwood. If Melbourne fits your location priorities, we're happy to talk through what's available now and what's coming soon.

For families in regional Victoria, we'd encourage you to use the NDIS SDA Finder and contact regional providers directly. We're a Melbourne-based provider, so we'll be honest with you if our locations don't match your priorities. That conversation is still worth having.

Got questions about the SDA search? Call us on (03) 9999 7418, email admin@paramounthomes.com.au, or visit www.paramounthomes.com.au. We're happy to talk through your situation.