Understanding Individualised Living Options
ILO is one of the most flexible — and least understood — pathways in the NDIS. This guide explains what Individualised Living Options are, the different models available and who tends to benefit most.
What Is ILO?
Individualised Living Options — ILO — is an NDIS support designed to help participants explore and develop living arrangements that are genuinely tailored to their individual goals, relationships and preferences. Unlike SIL, which typically involves a participant moving into an existing shared living arrangement, ILO starts with the person and works outward to design a living arrangement around them.
The key word in ILO is 'individualised'. The process isn't about finding an available placement. It's about exploring what kind of living arrangement would genuinely suit this particular person — considering their daily life, their relationships, their goals and their vision of independence — and then designing and developing that arrangement.
ILO vs. SIL: What's the Difference?
Both SIL and ILO provide funded support for people with disability to live more independently. The key difference is in how the living arrangement is designed. SIL typically involves a participant moving into an existing arrangement — a shared house with other participants and a provider — with a support model attached. ILO involves building a new arrangement from scratch, designed specifically around the individual.
ILO also tends to involve more flexible, creative living arrangements — living with a host family or supportive housemate, for example, rather than in a purpose-built disability accommodation setting. This can be a better fit for participants who want a more natural, home-like environment, or who have specific preferences that don't suit a traditional SIL model.
Who Benefits Most From ILO?
ILO tends to work best for participants who have strong preferences about how and where they want to live, and who don't fit neatly into existing SIL vacancies. It's also a good fit for participants whose support needs change across the day or week — because ILO arrangements can be more flexible than the fixed rostering typical of SIL.
Families exploring options for a family member who is ready to move out of the family home — but for whom a traditional SIL arrangement doesn't feel right — often find ILO worth exploring. It allows for a more gradual, personalised transition, with a living arrangement that can be built around the participant's relationships and preferences rather than around what's available.
Starting the ILO Conversation
Exploring ILO starts with a conversation — about the participant's goals, preferences, current circumstances and what they want their future to look like. A good ILO provider will take time to understand all of this before suggesting any particular arrangement or model.
If you're curious about whether ILO might be the right pathway, the best place to start is a conversation with a Support Coordinator who has experience in this area — or directly with a provider like Bloom Supports who can walk through the process honestly and without pressure.