NDIS Funding Cuts: Keeping Friendships and Community Connection Going

Sep 27

4 min read

Updated: Sep 28

For a lot of the people we support, the best part of the week isn't the activity. It's the people. From 1 October 2026, NDIS funding cuts to social and community participation start applying at each person's next plan reassessment or renewal. Less funded time is a real loss, and we're not going to pretend otherwise. But it doesn't have to mean fewer friends. Here's how to protect the connections that matter.

Why NDIS funding cuts don't have to mean losing connection

Paid support works best as a bridge, not the destination. The friendships that last are the ones that keep going outside funded hours: the mate from group who texts about the footy, the neighbour who waves every morning, the regular at the café who knows your order.

So the question to ask about every funded hour from now on is: is this building a connection that could keep going without us? If the answer is yes, that hour is doing double duty.

Start with what's already there

Before changing anything, map what you've got. Grab a piece of paper and write down:

the people you see regularly, including family, neighbours, school or work mates, and friends from group programs
the places you go where people know you
who you'd like to see more of, and what gets in the way (transport, confidence, cost or just organising it)

Those barriers are usually where funded support can make the biggest difference. Our guide to informal supports in the NDIS covers the people side of this in more detail.

Use funded time to build bridges

Travel skills first. If someone can get to a place on their own, they can keep going there. Public transport training is often the single most useful thing a funded hour can do.
Same time, same place. Friendships grow from seeing the same people regularly. A weekly club beats a different outing every time.
Introduce, then step back. A support worker can help someone join a club or community group, then gradually do less as the person settles in.
Practise the in-between bits. Starting a conversation, swapping numbers, making a plan and following up are skills, and they can be practised.
Use the budget built for it. Skill building like this may be funded from Capacity Building, which isn't one of the two budgets named in the cuts. See our Increased Social and Community Participation spotlight.

Keep group friendships going between sessions

Group programs are often where the strongest friendships start. Small groups put the same people together week after week, and because the cost is shared, they stretch a budget further than 1:1 time. We explain how in What Are Support Ratios in the NDIS?

Help those friendships outlast the program. Families can swap contact details with each other (with everyone's agreement), organise a catch-up in the school holidays, or build on a shared interest like gaming, art or sport.

Look beyond the NDIS

Mainstream community groups. Sporting clubs, libraries, community gardens, men's sheds, art classes, faith communities and volunteering all bring people together regularly, and many are more welcoming than people expect.
The Queensland Companion Card. If you need a support person to take part in community activities, the card lets your companion in free at participating venues, which takes some of the cost pressure off outings.
The Inclusive Communities Fund. The Government has committed $200 million to help community organisations build genuine participation opportunities outside the NDIS. Details on how it will work haven't been released yet.

What the new law says about informal supports

From 1 February 2027, when the NDIA decides what's reasonable and necessary, the Act tells it to consider the desirability of supporting and strengthening informal supports and community networks in preference to replacing them with funded supports (section 34(1K)).

That cuts both ways. Building natural connections is exactly what we're encouraging here. But the same section also requires the NDIA to consider whether relying on family, carers or community would expose anyone to a risk of harm, and what family and carers can realistically provide given their age and the intensity of support needed. When you talk to the NDIA, be honest about what your networks can and can't do. Don't overstate it.

Keep a simple record

Write down the connections you're building, what support it took to get there, and what happens when that support isn't there. A few lines a month is enough. It helps you see what's working, and it's useful evidence at a reassessment. Our guide to the new plan reassessment rules explains what the NDIA looks for.

Talk to us

If you're a participant or family on the Gold Coast or Sunshine Coast and you're worried about losing connection when your funding changes, get in touch. We'd rather help you plan for it now than have you find out at your reassessment. For the detail on the cut itself, see The 1 October NDIS Changes: What They Mean for Group Programs and Community Access.

📍 Based on the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast