Housing Crisis

Hi, my name is Jaz. I'm 31 years old and Autistic. I have nowhere to live.

Update13/09/2022: The NDIA (National Disability Insurance) has determined it is not reasonable or necessary that I receive disability housing support in the form of ILO (individualised living options) or SIL (supported independent living), despite providing lengthy reports and copious amounts of supportive documentation. I have not been provided with the reasons for this despite being told that I have been sent a letter.

Ultimately, nobody is paying for the tiny 3x3m² room where I am staying, and I have no idea how I will pay the bill when it comes in.

I only found out this afternoon through an email but the specific reasons why were not specified.

Things could not get much worse than this.

Please help us if you are able to and see the updates for more information.

I would really appreciate it if you could share this with everyone you can in all of your networks.

Situation:

Australia has experienced widespread flooding, so many people are without homes. Accommodation is hard to come by, especially when you are a person like myself with additional needs due to comorbid diagnoses of Autism, ADHD, PTSD, Panic Disorder, and Generalised Anxiety Disorder. I am determined to find somewhere, although I urgently need help.

While desperate for long-term housing, we have no other options but to pay for camping gear or other essential items. We may need appropriate clothing, a suitable weatherproof tent, warm bedding and other supplies for myself and my assistance dog to stay alive.

I do not know the cost of this equipment and expect that I will need to add my own pension money to any amount that I may receive through gofundme, but please donate what you can and, most importantly, share my page with anyone you think might be able to help.

Background:

I fled my childhood home at age 17 (due to extreme mental health and safety concerns). Unfortunately, my "family" remain unsupportive and unresponsive. I have no contact with them.

I do not have nearby friends to help me and rely entirely on my NDIS-funded disability support team. Their supports are valuable but limited in that they have been unable to find and secure long-term safe housing for Chloe and I that is affordable and meets my disability needs.

Initially, I was not expecting my gofundme to receive donations anywhere near the amount I have so far. However, I also hoped that by sharing my story, a solution would come up, and I'd be able to return all the donations to the kind people who have helped us. Unfortunately, there has been no solution, so I have had to increase my target amount from $500 to $5000.

I now realise that it is vital to stay alive and that I must accept help (even though it's hard) and take all support I can.

So many people are worried and want to ensure that Chloe and I are safe.

Right now, any money I receive will go towards paying for emergency housing solutions until the NDIA approves my request for SIL/ILO housing.

The current accommodation is $90 per night, so some of the funds we raise might extend this while we wait for a report from my Occupational Therapist that the NDIA has requested. So far, with the amount raised, we can afford an extra ten nights of accommodation and a bag with wheels from Kmart to put some of Chloe's things in. The only alternative is finding somewhere safe to pitch a tent that hasn't been affected by the devastating flooding/recent rains. Unfortunately, camping has proven to be a challenge, and there is no easy solution.

While trying to find accommodation, we have experienced copious amounts of discrimination (as seen in my YouTube video).

My housing crisis is causing a chronic amount of anxiety, panic and distress. Having ADHD, I struggle to transition and being on the Autism Spectrum means I have a strong need for consistency and certainty.

Living with ADHD and trying to stay organised amidst a crisis is triggering my anxiety, affecting my sleep and causing me to dissociate. I am having severe trouble keeping up with tasks and staying on track because I don't have a place for things to go as I don't have place to go.

I cannot sit still and relax because I am constantly worried about what my future will bring and my ADHD meds do not work as well as they used to, which I presume is due to stress.

For many years, we have experienced challenges with finding disability-friendly accommodation and are currently facing an uncertain future due to no sufficient available housing. I have an Autistic hypersensitivity to mould and have lost all of my belongings twice to apartments with mould issues.

I have been unable to find work, despite trying to complete my childcare studies and have had to put my work placement on hold. Secure housing will allow me to finish my last component of prac work in childcare (giving me a qualification as an Early Childhood Educator - a lifelong dream, and there are plenty of jobs in this field). I want to give back to society and use my ADHD strengths and ASD-related skills to do good things in the world.

My Disability support pension can only stretch so far, and I want to have some backup money in case something happens to my assistance dog if she needs veterinary care at any point. She is my best friend, and I rely on her to help me every day. I do not have any idea what this will cost, and I have spent my life struggling to ask for help, so this is a big thing.

Through my struggles and journey of survival, I want to help create videos for my YouTube channel to raise awareness of the challenges that Autistic ADHDers can experience while having nowhere to go and no safe place to live. None of this should not be happening, but it is, and I will do what I can to face my fear and share my story.

I hope that by documenting my experiences, I might be able to help create change and that others in similar situations as mine can feel less alone and more empowered to ask for help.

None of this was easy to write, and I never imagined that I would be asking for help like this. Only through the kindness of some online friends and extensive therapy do I dare to share and speak my story. (You all know who you are)

Please, if you can help me with any amount, it could make all the difference to my ability to stay alive and get through this. The last thing I want is to give up on my

dreams and spiral further into the system.

Thank you very much for your time and consideration.

Jaz