Finding my forever home

Anna Gray shares what she loves and what she has learned about living independently.

Tell us about your home

My house is awesome. I live in a unit which is near the park, supermarket and gym. The train station is close too, plus there is a bus which I can catch to a big shopping centre where I love to get sushi and coffee.

It is also close to my work at the hospital. I have a backyard where I do yoga and my dog can run around.

How long have you lived there?

I have lived in my unit for almost a year and a half.

What is it like?

It has two bedrooms and a big living room. I like the kitchen because I love cooking and I love making smoothies.

The laundry has a dog door. Before I moved in we gave the unit a bit of a makeover and I have lots of pictures and pink is the theme.

Do you live with anyone?

I live with a flatmate rather than a support worker. She is 24 and is pretty quiet. My last flatmate Lily was really fun and we would go out for ice-cream sometimes and have dinner together.

Over the last 18 months I have learnt a lot about being thoughtful of the person I am sharing with. I also live with my two-year-old dog Miley. She is a very cute Cavoodle and she keeps me company and I take her for walks.

What’s your favourite thing to do at home?

I love listening to my music whilst I am cooking meals that I choose.

How did you make the decision to live independently?

I did a few practices of 1-2 weeks at a time renting Airbnbs in different neighbourhoods with my support worker Marie (the NDIS funded this). I practised skills that I needed to be able to live in my own place. I really liked the feeling of freedom and independence so knew I was ready.

Was it hard at the start?

Yes it was because I realised I had to do everything! I have support workers helping me with shopping, some cooking, washing, learning about safety in my home and cleaning. I am getting used to all this now but it was a lot to start. I missed my family being around, so we have solved this by having family dinners once a week (sometimes at my house), and I stay at my parent’s house on a Sunday night. I sleep in my old bedroom and it is really nice to hang with the family. Mum and Dad and my brother and sister drop into my place too.

What are the good things about living independently?

I love my independence and freedom and that means I get to make my own decisions. I get to choose what I want to do in my spare time and what I am going to cook. If I want to go to the park I can, if I want to go to my local coffee shop I can. I love having my friends over too and getting takeaway food sometimes. I have got to know the ladies at the park who bring their dogs too.

What are some of the challenges?

A big one is there is no one to clean up after me and I have to do this myself, but otherwise I am doing very well. Sometimes I get a little bit lonely, but I have my dog and I am a pretty busy person. Sometimes time management is hard and knowing that I need to go to bed. My alarm on my phone helps this.

How do you manage paying bills?

My mum helps sort these, but I have to stick to a budget so there is money left over to pay for these bills. Mum keeps reminding me to turn off my lights and fan because electricity is expensive.

What advice do you have for other people with Down syndrome who might be thinking about living independently?

Really work on your life skills and personal hygiene and start practicing cooking and learning about healthy eating when you are a teenager and making good choices. Have opportunities to stretch your boundaries in a safe way. Having short practices of living independently gave me confidence and the experience of what it would be like. I also learnt about which areas of life skills I needed to work on.

What have you learned about yourself from living independently?

I have learnt that I can make some of my own appointments, like pilates. I am really proud of myself that I can do all of these things and look after my dog too. It has been great for my confidence and I am so happy that I have my forever home.

Download the full digital edition of Voice here.

Download Voice – Housing and Living 2025