By the early 1990s, attitudes towards disability support were changing. People with disability and their families were increasingly seeking opportunities to live, learn and participate within their communities, rather than relying on centre-based models of support. There was growing recognition that people should have greater choice, independence and control over where they lived and how they spent their lives.

To respond to this changing landscape and strengthen disability service delivery, SCOSA established the Community Accommodation and Respite Agency (CARA) in 1993. The new organisation was created to specialise in accommodation and respite services for adults with disability, taking responsibility for supporting people to live in community-based settings across South Australia.

The creation of CARA represented a significant step towards the person-centred approaches that would later become central to disability services nationwide. By focusing on accommodation, respite and community living, CARA helped create new opportunities for people with disability to experience greater independence, build meaningful relationships and participate more fully in everyday life.

This milestone laid the foundation for the organisation Cara is today. What began as a specialised accommodation and respite provider would continue to evolve over the decades that followed, always guided by the belief that people with disability should have the opportunity to live a life filled with choice, connection, joy, purpose and belonging.