Amee
Content Warning: These stories are about violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation and may include references to suicide or self-harming behaviours. They may contain graphic descriptions and strong language and may be distressing. Some narratives may be about First Nations people who have passed away. If you need support, please see Contact & support.
Amee is in her early 30s and lives with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety and learning difficulties.
‘I have always been interested in animals and attempted to complete a few courses in this area,’ Amee told the Royal Commission.
Amee lived with her parents until a few years ago, when she decided to move out to ‘gain independence like [her] peers’.
‘It was not easy.’
She spent a long time looking for a suitable house before finding shared supported independent living (SIL) accommodation through an NDIS provider.
‘Despite my frustration [at the lack of options] I was excited at the prospect of being able to move out of home.’
Amee’s NDIS plan funded the 24-hour support she needed, but the SIL rent took most of her Disability Support Pension.
‘The issues began as soon as I moved in.’
The room’s sliding door and window were bolted shut. After her parents told the provider it was a fire risk, the provider removed the bolts and replaced them with sticks to keep the door shut. The door and window didn’t close properly, leaving gaps for insects and cold air.
‘I felt really unsafe and this made me anxious.’
Amee said the provider told her its experienced support workers would teach her how to live independently.
‘The support workers would spend most of the time at home in another room, either on the phone or sleeping … They did not support or encourage me to build any skills at all.’
Amee said a support worker told her she ‘had to use [her] debit card to pay for household goods’, even though these should have been included in her SIL payments.
She said support workers also pressured her to change her schedule to ‘meet the hours that worked for them’.
When Amee spent three months in hospital, and continued to pay rent, she said the service provider also billed her for other services she wasn’t using.
‘They wanted to keep the revenue, they kept sending people in to sit with me in hospital so they could claim the funding.’
Amee said the provider also charged her for transport, but provided ‘no means of getting around’.
One day, a support worker took her to the doctor and left her alone to go shopping, even though Amee had a history of self-harm.
‘When my GP found out that I was without support she was mortified … and made sure I was supervised while we waited for the support worker to get back.’
Amee moved back with her parents, but said the experience damaged her self-confidence.
‘I felt like my first chance at living independently was unfairly taken away from me,’ she told the Royal Commission. ‘My family felt extremely guilty for letting me live in the environment that I was living in.’
Disclaimer: This is the story of a person who shared their personal experience with the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability through a submission or private session. The names in this story are pseudonyms. The person who shared this experience was not a witness and their account is not evidence. They did not take an oath or affirmation before providing the story. Nothing in this story constitutes a finding of the Royal Commission. Any views expressed are those of the person who shared their experience, not of the Royal Commission.