James enjoys a positive change thanks to Support Coordination

Lydia was mentally and physically exhausted when her request for Support Coordination funding for her adult son James finally came through and she was connected with Leah, one of Northcott’s Support Coordinators at Northcott Parramatta. Right from the start, Lydia felt listened to and supported by Leah.

James has severe autism and extremely complex behaviours. For many years, Lydia had been fighting for Support Coordination funding because she was struggling to understand the NDIS and how to access supported accommodation for James.

“James had become very aggressive. He was stronger than me and his meltdowns were getting worse. The house was totalled numerous times. I wasn’t sleeping well, eating well, I was depressed,” she says.

Lydia was referred to Northcott’s Support Coordination service by the staff at one of our Respite houses where James visited regularly on weekends.  At their first meeting, Lydia broke down into tears sharing with Leah how she wasn’t coping and needed to find long-term supported accommodation for James.

“Leah did everything. She contacted all the services he was accessing already to find out as much about James as she could. She set up all the assessments. She took a lot of the work off me,” explains Lydia.

Leah arranged occupational therapy assessments, behaviour support assessments and other reports required to support James’ request for supported accommodation funding. When James was facing an emergency housing crisis, Leah called several service providers until she found long-term, permanent accommodation suitable for James.

 “All the support Leah gave me was so helpful. She knew what to do. And we’re both pleased with the outcome.”

James has now been living in his new home for several months. While she is missing him, Lydia is extremely grateful for the support received from Northcott to achieve this goal for James. She says the move has been very positive for James, who has settled in well and is happier.

“He’s great now. He’s calmer, he’s smiling. I’m really pleased with the way they are with him. They like having him there,” she says.

“Through Leah’s support, I have learnt a lot and I feel more knowledgeable about [the NDIS]. I would highly recommend Northcott. They have been extremely helpful for my whole family.”