If you have been searching for a disability group home, you have probably noticed the term pops up everywhere, often meaning slightly different things. You may also have come across “shared living” and wondered whether it is just another word for the same thing.
It is not. While they can look similar on the surface, group homes and shared living reflect two very different ways of thinking about disability housing. Understanding the difference matters, because it affects how much say you have over where you live, who you live with and how you are supported day to day.
This guide explains what each term means, where the traditional group home model falls short and what modern shared living looks like.
A group home is a shared house where several people with disability live together, usually with support staff on site. The term has been used in Australia for decades and it covers a wide range of settings, from older, institutional-style homes to smaller, more modern houses.
In a traditional group home, support and housing are usually bundled together and delivered by the same organisation. Residents are often placed based on a vacancy or their support needs, rather than being matched with people they actually want to live with. Daily routines, like when people eat, wake up or go out, are frequently built around staffing schedules rather than individual choice.
Group homes were an important step away from large institutions. For many years, they were the main alternative to institutional care and they gave people a smaller, more home-like place to live. But expectations have moved on and the model has not always kept pace.
Shared living is a housing arrangement where two or more people with disability live in the same home but with a very different set of principles behind it.
In a well-designed shared living arrangement, you have a genuine say in who you live with. Your housing and your support are kept separate, so the organisation that manages your home is not the same one that provides your daily support. And the household runs around the people who live there, not around a roster.
The home itself is usually purpose-built or modified Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA), with modern accessibility features and private bedrooms. You share communal spaces like the kitchen and living areas but your own space is yours.
The shift from group homes to shared living reflects a bigger change in how the disability sector thinks about home. It aligns with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which recognises the right of people with disability to choose where they live, who they live with and how they are supported, on an equal basis with everyone else.
The group home model has three common limitations that shared living is designed to address.
Tenants often have little say over who they live with, who supports them or their daily routines. Decisions get made around staffing and household systems rather than personal preferences and goals.
People are frequently grouped together based on a vacancy or their support needs, rather than shared interests, personalities or lifestyles. This can lead to tension in the home, social isolation or an environment that does not support wellbeing.
Some older settings were designed with operational efficiency in mind rather than community connection, leaving residents more isolated from the neighbourhoods and relationships that make a place feel like home.
None of this means group homes are inherently bad. Many are run by caring people doing their best within an outdated model. The point is that the model itself was built around the system, not the person and people with disability deserve the same housing choices as anyone else.
Yes. Living with your partner is often possible and it’s a completely reasonable thing to want.
If you and your partner both have SDA funding, our two-bedroom SDA houses have been designed to support couples who want to live together while accessing the supports they need.
If your partner doesn’t have SDA funding, living together may still be possible. Depending on your individual circumstances, one of our villas or apartments may be a more suitable option, allowing you to enjoy your own home together without sharing the space with another housemate.
Every situation is different, so the best option will depend on your support needs, funding and the type of home that’s right for you. We’re happy to talk through your circumstances and help you explore the options available.
Traditional Group Home | Modern Shared Living | |
|---|---|---|
Who you live with | Often assigned by vacancy or support needs | You have a genuine say, through a matching process |
Housing and support | Usually bundled with one provider | Kept separate, so you can change support without changing home |
Daily routines | Often built around staff schedules | Built around the people who live there |
Your space | Varies, sometimes shared rooms in older settings | Private bedroom, usually private bathroom, shared communal areas |
The home | Ranges from institutional to home-like | Purpose-built or modified SDA with modern accessibility |
Decision-making | Frequently made for you | You are at the centre |
Both describe people with disability living together with support. The difference is who holds the control.
The best shared living arrangements share a few things in common. You get a real say in who you live with. Your housing and support stay separate. You have a safe way to raise concerns. And you sit at the centre of decisions about your own home.
At Enliven Housing, this is the whole point of how we operate. We are an SDA housing provider, which means we focus on the home, the tenancy and your living experience, not support services. That separation is deliberate and it gives you more control and stronger safeguards. You can read more about why we separate housing from support in our model.
When it comes to who you live with, our Find a Housemate process works closely with you to make sure living arrangements are compatible and that everyone feels comfortable and confident in the home. You are part of the decision from the start, not placed into a vacancy.
Our Choice Collective gives tenants who share supports a structured, independent way to shape how those supports are delivered and to review providers. Our Friendly Landlord Model means we work flexibly with you rather than fitting you into a rigid system. And our homes are designed to adapt over time, so accessibility features and assistive technology can often be added as your needs change, helping you stay in the home and community you know.
Our newest shared homes, Enliven Residences, are a selection of purpose-built SDA houses and villas designed around exactly these principles.
With the right provider, yes. At Enliven, our Find a Housemate process involves you from the start, so you can meet potential housemates and share your preferences before any decisions are made. Our guide to housemate matching and compatibility explains how it works and what happens if an arrangement is not the right fit.
The disability sector is moving away from traditional group home models toward more contemporary options that offer greater choice and control. This shift has been reinforced by the Disability Royal Commission and the NDIS Review. Many providers, including Enliven, are focused on modern shared living instead.
Shared living in a purpose-built home usually involves SDA funding, which covers the dwelling itself. The support you receive inside the home is funded separately. Our guide to funding shared living breaks down how SDA and SIL or ILO combine, and whether you are eligible depends on your functional impairment and support needs, which the NDIA assesses through your plan
For a lot of people, this is the question that matters most about shared living. Not the funding, not the
You can read all the guides in the world about shared living but the question underneath most of them is
For many Australians with disability, home has traditionally meant fitting into systems that already existed – rather than choosing a
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