Two years ago I decided I wanted to live on my own and be more independent, but I didn’t know how to do that and knew I needed help.
I met with Jenny, who told me about the Supported Apartment Living program.
She showed me an apartment that was available and I thought, “I could live in something like this”.
The bedroom was bigger than my current bedroom, which is one of the many things I liked about the apartment.
I filled out the paperwork with my mom and waited a little over a month to hear back– the month felt really long.
When Jenny called my mom to say I was approved to live in SAL, I was excited and my mom and sister were crying.
I signed the tenant’s agreement and got my own set of keys. I spent the following month buying furniture for my place.
After some adjustments and a few trips later, I was settled into my new place.I had to get used to new sounds and bus routes.
I started a new job not too long before I moved out and didn’t have much time to get to know the other people in SAL.
When my job did slow down, I was able to hang out with the group. There are 8 other SAL program tenants in my building and the rest of the building is non-SAL tenants.
In December 2013, my building had a fire. This was the second house fire I’ve had, so I was anxious but it was nice to have the support of the other SAL tenants.
I noticed after the fire, our group got closer to each other. Being in SAL has helped me with my social skills and I’ve become more confident in the kitchen.
As a group we’ve gone on day trips and have done some fun activities. I really like how we are a little community.
It’s nice to have other people in the building to go to if I need help with something or if I want to hang out.
Living on my own has increased my independence by making me less dependent on my family. It’s taught me the reality of how much things cost and how to budget.
It has also allowed me to truly be myself and grow as an individual.
Written by Lidia White
