NDIS Short Term Accommodation & Respite
Short term accommodation (STA) is an NDIS-funded stay away from home with support included, also known as NDIS respite care. It gives you a change of scene and your family or carers a proper break. Coast Transitional Support arranges supported stays across Central Coast NSW.
What Short Term Accommodation Covers
A stay bundles two things together: somewhere to stay and the support you need whilst you are there. The NDIS funds it as a daily rate, so you are not juggling separate invoices for the room and the worker.
- A comfortable, accessible place to stay
- Personal care and daily support matched to your needs
- Meals and help with cooking if you want to practise
- Activities and outings in the local community
- Support with medication and your usual routines
A stay is commonly up to 14 days at a time, and many plans fund around 28 days across a year. That is a common pattern rather than a rule, so confirm the days and funding in your own plan before you book.
How a Stay Works
Every stay follows the same simple arc, shaped around your routine.
Before Your Stay
We talk with you and your family about routines, preferences, medication, meals and anything that helps you feel at home. Then we plan the stay around that.
During Your Stay
You settle in with support matched to your needs: personal care, meals, outings and activities on the Central Coast, with your routine kept as normal as possible.
After Your Stay
We check in with you and your family, share anything useful we noticed, and plan the next stay if you would like one. Nothing changes at home without your say.
Who Uses Respite?
These are illustrative examples of the situations we see most often. They are not real people or testimonials.
A Planned Break for a Carer
A parent caring for their adult daughter books a weekend stay each school term. The daughter enjoys the change of scene and the parent comes back rested, which keeps the whole arrangement sustainable.
Trying Out More Independence
A young man thinking about moving into his own place uses short stays to practise cooking, managing his morning routine and being away from family, before anyone commits to a bigger change.
Support After a Hospital Stay
After surgery, a Participant is ready to leave hospital but not quite ready to manage alone at home. A short supported stay bridges the gap whilst home supports are adjusted.
Coming home from hospital is a common trigger for a first stay. Our guide on NDIS support after leaving Gosford Hospital explains how families use this kind of support during recovery.
When a Short Stay Leads Somewhere Bigger
Short stays are sometimes just a break, and that is enough. For others they are a first step towards living more independently. If that is where you are heading, the two longer-term options to look at are Supported Independent Living and Individual Living Options. Both fund ongoing support in a place of your own, rather than a short stay, and a run of STA stays is often how families test the idea first.
Short term accommodation sits inside Assistance with Daily Life, the same Core Supports category that funds self-care and household tasks. As of September 2026, flexibility rules differ between older plans and PACE plans, so confirm what your plan allows before booking.
How to Arrange a Stay
Start by checking the Core Supports section of your plan for short term accommodation funding. If it is not there, note down the care your family provides and why a break matters, and raise it with your LAC or planner at your next review.
Most Participants organise STA through NDIS Support Coordination. Your coordinator helps you find the right setting, agrees on dates and rates, and puts a service agreement in place. Call us on 0412 223 789 and we will talk it through with you.
Common Questions About STA and Respite
Respite and STA Across the Central Coast
We support Participants and families from the Peninsula through to the Northern Lakes.