Henley
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.
Henley had lived in his supported accommodation home for some time and he felt safe in the area. But he told the Royal Commission that when it came time to transition to the NDIS supported independent living (SIL) program, he was ‘essentially forced to choose’ the organisation that had managed his supported accommodation as his SIL provider ‘or face eviction from [his] home’. This was despite the fact ‘the property lease was to be independent from [the organisation] themselves’.
Henley explained that he has ‘severe anxiety and bipolar disorder which creates mood instability’ and the main reason he did not wish to have the organisation as his SIL provider was ‘the way in which the house coordinator had treated [him] in the past’.
Henley complained about his poor treatment to the organisation but this ‘caused their attitude towards [him] to change for the worse’.
He discussed his situation with his coordinator of supports, his mental health case manager, an advocate, the NDIA and Legal Aid.
Legal Aid told Henley the organisation could not legally remove him from the property. The NDIA said ‘it did not seem like [the organisation] were doing the right thing’. But somehow it seemed there was little anyone could do.
Eventually ‘the coercion and bullying’ he endured from the organisation forced him to leave his home. He moved to an area where he feels unsafe and which ‘has the potential to negatively impact on [his] physical and mental wellbeing’.
Henley told us SIL providers should ‘not be allowed to coerce participants into choosing their organisation for support just because they control the house itself’.
He would like ‘the stigma surrounding those with mental illness dissipate and that people with any kind of disability are able to make their own decisions regarding their lives and livelihoods’.
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.