More than 80 group homes for disabled residents have been closed and carers have started industrial action as a state funding crisis in the sector worsens.

The homes have been closed by the five private providers appointed to operate Victoria’s supported disability accommodation, which are struggling for survival after state government subsidies ended on December 31.

With the federal government’s National Disability Insurance Agency refusing to cover the funding gap created by the loss of the state subsidies, concerns are growing for the future of the entire 549 former state government-run disability homes, which house almost 2000 vulnerable Victorians.