Deacon and Nataly
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.
Deacon is in his 50s and has intellectual disability, cerebral palsy and epilepsy.
He has been living in hostels since he was 17 and his relationship with his family broke down. ‘My mum kicked me out,’ he said. For the past 40 years he has moved from one hostel to another.
Nataly is his advocate. She says Deacon is a ‘very strong and determined man’. He often talks about finding somewhere else to live that is ‘safe’ and ‘private’.
Nataly knows that Deacon ‘could live a different life’, independently and free from violence. Together they inspected ‘quite a few’ rental properties. But without a character reference from the hostel manager, Deacon stood no chance of being approved for a lease.
Nataly told the Royal Commission that hostels are reluctant to support people with disability to live independent lives. ‘They tend to say residents can’t move out because they can’t do this and that,’ said Nataly. Trying to get Deacon a reference was a ‘massive hurdle’.
Deacon had been living in the hostel with 30 other residents. They never needed a house key because the ‘back door was always open’. He paid $400 a week for a shared bedroom with no privacy. Some of his personal belongings, including a suitcase full of DVDs, were stolen.
Deacon was hospitalised several times because he was ‘bedwetting at night’, said Nataly. It may have been caused by social anxiety and the prospect of having to ‘interact with people’ on the way to the toilet. ‘It was a nightmare,’ said Deacon.
He would often spend his days at a sheltered workshop or ‘chilling out’ at the local shopping centre, to avoid getting ‘hassled’ for money back at the hostel.
Although Deacon had been a resident at the hostel for several years and had a good reputation, the hostel manager refused to give him a character reference.
He insisted Deacon undertake an assessment to prove that he had the capacity to escape an emergency situation, such as a ‘house that was on fire’.
Nataly came up with a way to ‘flip’ the scenario. She found Deacon a service provider willing to identify any supports he’d need to move out, and what further supports would be required to keep him safe. They wrote a recommendation ‘about who [Deacon] was, and that he would be a good tenant’.
Deacon is now living in a private rental. ‘I love it,’ he told the Royal Commission. He bought all of his own furniture brand-new, and has memorabilia of his favourite football team throughout the unit. ‘I can do whatever I like!’
Support workers help him ‘do shopping, clean up and do his chemist runs,’ said Nataly. And he does a good job of ‘keeping the place tidy’.
At night, Deacon walks to the bathroom and back to bed without interruption. ‘It’s amazing!’ he said. ‘It’s a miracle! Now I don’t wet the bed anymore. I cannot believe it!’
And while he finds it a bit lonely living on his own, Deacon says he will never return to hostel or group housing.
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.