How Much Does Supported Independent Living (SIL) Cost?

There's no single price for Supported Independent Living (SIL) — the funding in a participant's plan depends on how much support they need and how that support is shared across a household, so two participants in SIL can have very different budgets.

What drives the cost

The biggest factor is support intensity: whether a participant needs a few hours of assistance a day or overnight, active support, or 24/7 supervision. Higher-intensity support costs more per hour than lower-intensity assistance.

Shared living arrangements typically cost less per participant than individual arrangements, because support hours are split across everyone in the household rather than funding one person's support alone.

The ratio of support workers to participants also matters — one worker supporting several participants at once costs less per person than one-to-one support.

How the cost is worked out

SIL funding is set through a Roster of Care built from a functional capacity assessment, which documents exactly what support a participant needs across a typical week or fortnight.

Because this assessment process takes time, it's worth starting the conversation with a support coordinator or planner well before SIL support is needed, rather than close to a plan review.

Guidance to Independence provides Supported Independent Living in a homely, shared environment for participants in Narellan and South West Sydney. Get in touch to talk through what SIL support could look like for you.