NDIS Short Term Accommodation (STA): What Melbourne Families Need to Know

Published October 2026

Short Term Accommodation, or STA, is NDIS funding for a short stay with support, so the family or carers who usually look after you can have a proper break. At Yours Truly, we plan these stays across Melbourne’s west and north, in your own home or somewhere comfortable close by, with a support worker from your own area.

"A good respite stay works for two people at once. The carer gets a real rest, and the person staying has a great few days. If only one of those happens, we haven’t done our job."
Arian Mehmeti, Director, Yours Truly Support Services

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Book it before everyone is exhausted

The families who call us about respite are often running on empty. Usually it’s a parent who has been the main support for years and can’t remember the last full night’s sleep. Our advice is to talk to us, or to your support coordinator, while things are still manageable. A stay planned calmly goes much better than one booked in a crisis.

That’s also why we suggest starting small. A first stay of a night or two, ideally with a support worker the person already knows, or one we’ve matched who lives nearby, lets everyone get comfortable before you book anything longer.

How we plan a stay

We talk through your routines and what matters to your family before we book anything. If staying at home suits best, we match an overnight support worker who lives nearby and whose personality and interests suit the person, so the night feels like time with someone they get on with. Our team lives locally, from Sunshine and Deer Park to St Albans and Craigieburn, so they already know the local shops, parks and footy grounds.

For example, picture a family where Mum is the main support for her adult son. They might book one weekend a month. On Friday afternoon, a support worker he knows comes to the house and stays overnight. On Saturday the two of them head out, maybe to the footy or Watergardens, while Mum has the weekend to herself. By Sunday evening, everyone has had a break from the usual routine.

Other people would rather spend a few days somewhere new. A stay away from home is a chance to meet different people and try new things with a support worker who shares their interests, and we plan the days around what the person enjoys, not just where they’ll sleep.

A smiling man in a power wheelchair holding a chocolate milkshake at a shopping centre café

How STA works under the NDIS

The NDIS describes STA as being for participants who live with family, friends or a carer, or who get daily drop-in support, and who get more than six hours of disability-related support a day from their family, friends or carer. It’s usually funded for up to 28 days a year. You can use it as a block of up to 14 days at a time or, for example, one weekend a month, and the days are meant to be spread across the length of your plan.

A stay can happen in your own home with a support worker staying overnight, or in basic, comfortable accommodation such as a short-stay rental, a cottage or a respite house. STA covers that accommodation and the support you need, like help with showering and cooking. It doesn’t cover holiday packages, cruises, airfares, food and meals, or tickets to things like the cinema, theme parks or sporting events, and we’re clear about any costs before your stay. You might also see STA called Short Term Respite, or STR: the NDIS used that name from October 2025 until mid-2026, and it’s the same support.

What families ask us first

Isn’t respite just a holiday?

No. The NDIS is clear that STA isn’t a holiday fund. But as Arian says, if only the carer gets a rest, we haven’t done our job. So we plan the stay around things the person enjoys, like the footy or a favourite café, because a stay someone enjoys is one they’ll want to do again.

Can we have shorter breaks instead of a stay?

Yes. Not every break needs an overnight stay. Our in-home respite brings a support worker who lives locally, somewhere between Sunshine and Craigieburn, to your home, and community access respite gets the person out and about around Melbourne’s west and north while their carer has some time off. Our respite care page explains every option, and how each one is funded depends on what’s in your plan.

Will I feel OK leaving them?

That worry is completely normal, and it’s why we plan the stay with you in detail first. As Christine says in one of the family videos on our Reviews page, "I feel very safe that he’s in good hands." That’s the feeling we work towards before any stay begins.

Talk to Yours Truly about respite

If you’d like to talk about respite or short-term accommodation for yourself or someone you love, call us on 1300 009 010 or use our contact form. If you work with a support coordinator, they can also send us a referral. We’re based in Sunshine North and support participants right across Melbourne’s western and northern suburbs.

Come and Say Hello

Our team is based in Sunshine North. Give us a call or fill out our contact form to chat about the support you need.

Yours Truly Support Services. Local. Consistent. Caring. Ready when you are. Call us on 1300 009 010.

The information and advice in this post were correct when we published it in October 2026. Things change, so for the latest, call us on 1300 009 010 or fill out our contact form.

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