Pan-Asian debt investment manager OCP Asia is to provide A$200m (€134.5m) funding to Australian disability housing providers NDISP and Social Impact Funds Management (SIFM).

The funding from OCP will be used to acquire and develop a portfolio of more than 40 sites in regional and urban locations during a four-year investment phase.

OCP’s partner Dan Simmons said the initial focus for the portfolio was in Queensland, where two sites in the regional hubs of Townsville and Rockhampton had already been funded, with the portfolio to expand progressively across other States and Territories.

“We are pleased to be providing the first pool of institutional capital that is dedicated to funding desirable fit-for-purpose SDA housing in regional centres, an under-served market where there is strong demand from NDIS participants,” Simmons said.

The facility has been provided with an option to recapitalise the portfolio through SIFM’s SDA Real Estate Investment Trust, which is expected to list on the ASX in 2026.

“This portfolio in regional centres will cover an area of the market that has been under-invested, so we have no doubt there will be high ongoing demand for these quality properties,” said SIFM CEO James Brooker,

Brooker said the SDA (specialist disability accommodation) market was widely considered Australia’s largest social impact investment opportunity, requiring an estimated A$5-A$12bn investment.

Brooker said the Australian government had committed A$700m annually for payments to SDA property investors for the next 20 years.

NDISP co-founder Jon Johnson said there was a shortfall of 28,000 places across Australia, however, that figure might be closer to 50,000 places.

NDISP designs the accommodations in-house, incorporating the latest automation facilities and other technology to cater to tenants’ needs, and then manages the tenancy of each property.

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