Access Your Supports are incredibly proud of our participant Rebecca and her success living independently.
Rebecca discussed with her NDIS Support Coordinator Jodie from Access Your Supports in October 2020, sharing that she would like to find secure and stable housing where she could live independently but still have support when she needed it.
This led to finding Haven Homes / Mind were building supported residential accommodation in Highton and began the process of lengthy assessments, application, and interviews to determine Rebecca’s suitability for housing with Haven Homes.
Once it was determined that Rebecca was eligible, Jodie supported Rebecca with applying to the to the NDIS for funding which supports Rebecca to live independently at her new Highton Home.
Since moving into her new forever home Rebecca has already noticed improvements in her mental health and quality of life and she hopes to be able to continue to grow and strengthen her own capacity to support others with mental illness.
Access Your Supports are so proud of Rebecca for the courage she has shown to share her story. If you would like support to meet your NDIS goals, please contact Access Your Supports intake team intake@ays.com.auor (03) 4222 7479
In her own words, Rebecca shared her experience in a heartfelt letter AYS:
I didn’t know how support coordination worked, until I met Jodie. Nothing I say is ever overlooked with her, I am not judged for having an illness. And she always has something nice to say about the strengths she believes I own. AYS see the good in me, even when I can’t see it!
For that I have thrived! I feel accepted. And very well supported and am able to see my own strengths, with a little encouragement I now believe in what I am capable of doing
I wasn’t always a cheery person, there was times I didn’t believe in myself.
But slowly gaining confidence more through the hope and encouragement of others and it’s a lifelong process.
You just feel surrounded by love and it’s overwhelming in a good way, the advocacy of it all when your too unwell to speak out has been great too.
I live with schizo affective disorder, and BPD.
When you are supported, you tend to forget how hard life has been in the past, because AYS has taken so much stress off of my shoulders. I remember not too long ago feeling utterly hopeless. Mental illness is debilitating some times and symptoms can drag on, without any real break from it. There could be a whole year straight of misery and feeling like you don’t want to be here anymore.
It just doesn’t stop.
I used to be jumping from accomodation to accomodation in hopes I would feel like some place would eventually feel like home.
Little did I know I would be now in a beautiful Highton supported accommodation independent apartment surrounded by the same type of lovely people . All that, I can not take credit for because AYS has had a huge part in it. From referrals to meeting me and coming to support me at interviews and everything. There was no pressure on me at all, even when they had a lot of work to be done to get me to this point.
They did not get my hopes up, so I was not disappointed, but when I got accepted here, they were whole heartedly happy for me. I even got flowers. 🥺 I feel blessed and am so so grateful because it does feel like a forever home. I’m in a community where people care, and one day if you’re not helping someone , they are helping you. It works both ways.
I met Daniel Andrews two days ago and it was so fun! Never would have I have thought that would happen.
I have meals delivered sometimes when I can’t look after myself, and I’ve got support worker who is amazing, along with access to groups that keep me socialising and staying stable. I have transport to get around all in which is a firm foundation for being well. And I’m extremely grateful for all of these things, they are a big thing.
The amount of times I’d exhausted all of my own knowledge and as I said, I’d given up, AYS truly never did! Not once! They used all their knowledge and means to make everything so much less stressful, always had time to take my call, or met with me to discuss my questions about therapies or groups.
I never had to wait, and when they said they would do something , they kept to their word, every time.
I looked forward to appointments weather face to face or via phone and still do, to this day because I’m greeted with a smile!!
The people who work at AYS have inspired me, given me hope that it IS
possible to be well and that there are plenty of people who genuinely care and are willing to be there.
Now I am headed in the right direction, I want to help others and give back the knowledge and pay forward all the compassion I have received. I’m looking at starting some peer work in the near future and am actually excited.
I feel ready for what’s to come and just want to say if your worried to reach out don’t be, it’s always the first step that’s the hardest once you get past that you will be completely fine!
Thank you, Access your Supports, from the bottom of my 💓
Kind regards Rebecca Bartolo
