Housing Myth Busting Community Spotlight: Chris D.

Families CCAN is proud to be a recipient of the PA Developmental Disabilities Council’s  Housing Myth Busting grant.  The goal of our project is to break down some common myths, or falsehoods, about housing for adults with disabilities. 

Along with our partners from Self Advocates United as One (SAU1), we are sharing information about Independent Living for Adults with disabilities.  

As part of our project, we are sharing a series of Community Spotlight Interviews.  These interviews highlight the stories of individuals with disabilities who are living independently in the community.  

Our next Housing Myth Busting Community Spotlight Interviewee is Chris D.  Chris recently moved from his family home into his own house right across the street.  Chris enjoys playing video games, spending time with his girlfriend, and taking care of his cat, Ebenezer.  Chris is also the newest addition to Families CCAN’s Peer to Peer Instructor team, where he shares his experiences of living on his own with support. 

Chris  was interviewed on Zoom by Housing Myth Busting team members Jenny Champignon and David Champignon.  Chris asked his mom, Sue, to sit in on the interview and provide assistance, as you’ll see below.  This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and length, but the words are all Chris’s own. 

Jenny: Can you tell us a little bit about where you live? Is it a city, a small town, a suburb, or a rural area?

“I live in the city of Philadelphia, but we  live on the edge of the city.”

Jenny: Do you live in a townhouse, a house, or an apartment?

“I live in a house.  It’s right across the street from my mom and dad.”

David: How long have you been living on your own?

Chris: “I don't know.  Mom, how long have I been living on my own?”

Sue: “Chris moved over here at the end of last November.”

Jenny:   How are you paying for living in your own place?

Chris: “Mom and Dad pay for it.”

Sue:  “Well, as you know, we're still kind of transitioning.  We, as his mom and dad, own the house. So, Chris is going to pay us some rent.  And that rent will include  his utilities.  So, you know, his water and his heat,  and the gas--  that will all be covered in the rent which Chris will pay to us.   And also, I feel like when we get [rent payments] underway, which will be soon,  that's going to help Chris learn more about budgeting.”

Chris: “And Mom, don't forget money management.”

Sue:  “That's right, Chris.  Absolutely.  That's still ahead for us.”

Jenny: Do you have a housemate?

“No, I live on my own, but I have Ebenezer.   Ebenezer is a cat--a black cat.”

Jenny: How did you decide about having a housemate or living on your own?

Chris: “Dad and Mom surprised me.  First [the previous owner of the house] said to Mom, “Sue, when I move to Florida, how about Chris has my house across the street?” and Mom said "Yes.”” 

Sue:  “And just before Chris moved over there, we talked about whether or not he would like to have a housemate,  because there's plenty of room.  But Chris said, “In the beginning, I don't think so.  I think I just want to go with Ebenezer. But I'll think about it.”  That might change down the road.  We'll see.”

David:  Did you get to choose where you live?

Chris: “ I don't know, I think yes.  Mom, did I get to choose where I live?”

Sue [laughing]: “Well, for a long time we asked ourselves “What would be the best living situation for Chris?”  Because we want him to stay nearby.  And so we looked around.  We thought about apartments.  We thought about living situations with a group of other people.  But in the end, this house across the street, that used to belong to our friend. . .  was the best option, because Chris used to come over here when he was a kid and look after [her] pets and pick up [her] mail when she was on vacation.  He's known this house for quite a long time.”

Jenny: What were some of the things that you needed to consider when looking for a place to live?

Chris: “I can't think of anything.  Can you mom?” 

Sue: “Well, you wanted to stay in Mount Airy, right?”

Chris; “Yeah.”

Sue:  “Because you've always lived in this neighborhood.  And you know where the stores are.  You know where the Wawa is and the CVS.  So you wanted to stay in your home neighborhood. . . not too far from your neighbors, because you've known them for a long time.   So those were all considerations.”

Chris; “Yeah. Mom told me-- and  I didn't even know this until today-- Mom told me mom told me I knew [another set of neighbors] before I was even born.”

Sue: “That's true.”

David: What is one thing you know now that you wish you would have known before you started living on your own?

“I wish Mom had told me about this house [sooner].  I wish mom had told me “Chris, you’ll be living on your own with your cat” to help me get prepared.”

Sue: “You wish you'd had more time to think about it?”

Chris: “Yeah.”

Sue: “Is that because now you realize that there's a lot of new stuff to learn about living on your own?”

Chris: “Yeah, and there were a lot of things that Dad had to fix.” 

Sue:  “Ah, right.  Things go wrong.  Then you have to find out how things are going to get fixed.”

Chris: “Yeah.”

Jenny: Who helped you move into your own place?

“Mom and Dad, [my support staff person] and my sister.” 

David: What are some steps you took before you moved to your home?

“Baby steps.”

I love that. What were the baby steps?

Chris: “Moving in, taking my time moving into this house.”

Sue: “Yeah, actually, you did have a chance to do it gradually, didn't you, Chris?”

Chris: “Yeah.”

Sue: “Yeah.  Because our two houses are nearby,  it made it easier for him.  You know, he didn't have to get a moving van and do it in one day.   He could gradually move his things and get a sense of where he wanted  things to be and kind of slowly adjust.”

Jenny: That's awesome.  It can be overwhelming.

David: What supports do you use to live more to live more independently?

Chris: “I have two support staff.” 

Sue:  “Chris has some really good supports.  Chris and [his primary support person] are together four days a week-- in the community and in his house.  So they get to go food shopping.  And then Chris also has another  person. . . .  who he’s known for many years, right, Chris?”

Chris: “Yeah.”

Sue: “They're from an agency.  And today, for the first time, Chris, his Dad,  his staff  and I, we met with people from [a remote supports company].  They're going to provide remote supports for Chris for when we're not around.”

Chris: “[I’ll also have] a button I can use, like a Smartwatch.  I would use it if I needed it.  I would press it in case something happened, like if I fell down the stairs.”  

Jenny: So do you receive waiver services, Chris?

Chris: “That’s a mom category”

Sue [laughing] “Well, it's your category too.  And the answer is yes.  Yes, you do.  The things that [your staff]  help you with and [the OT]  and all those supports that you get come from a program called a waiver.”

Chris: “Okay.”

Jenny: Has the way that you used your support changed over time?

Chris: “Yeah. [My previous staff person] doesn't work with me any more.”

Sue: “Yeah, over the years, people have changed-- not very much. We've been very fortunate.  Chris did have [one staff person] for many years, but she retired. That's what we're talking about. She retired. So people change.”

Chris: “Yeah.”

Sue:  “But I don't think you've changed the way you use supports, have you, Chris?”

Chris: “No.  Not really.”

Jenny: How do you speak up for yourself and get the support that you need?

Chris: “I have no problem speaking up for myself. I’ve got no problem with doing that.” 

David: What skill do you think has been the most important for living on your own?

Chris: “Microwaving.”

Sue: “Microwaving and also remembering extremely well to take care of your pet.”

Chris: “Yeah.”

Sue:  “You do that without anybody having to remind you.”

Tell us what it’s like to take care of another living creature. What are the responsibilities?

Chris: “My responsibility is cleaning up his poop and pee.  Making sure he eats-- I’ve got to feed him.  I feed him breakfast and dinner.   And he poops in the litter box so much.”

Sue: “I would just add, and I'm sure Chris will agree, that when somebody's thinking about moving into their own place, as Chris has just done, an animal can be a real comfort.   It can be a little lonely when you leave home, because, you know, you've always had Mom and Dad there to chat with anytime you feel like a chat.   And all of a sudden, you're in a house alone.  So I think having any kind of animal that you're comfortable with-- it could be a bird-- is helpful.   Chris loves to talk, which is a great thing, but it's nice to have another living thing in the house, right, Chris?”

Chris:  “Yeah.  It's real, real good company.  Sometimes Ebenezer looks at me and he’s trying to figure out what I’m going to do, like “Am I going to get fed?  Do I get to go outside?”   Mom bought a tent for the cat to be outside. Mom found it on Amazon.”

Sue: “I did, yeah.  Ebenezer likes to hang out out there and listen to the birds.  Probably pretending he's going to catch one.”

Jenny: Do you have any adaptations in your house to make it more accessible?

Chris: “I have grab bars, a smartwatch, Alexa, and cameras on the outside of my house.”

Sue: “Also, Chris  is in the process of having his bathtub replaced with a walk-in shower.”

David: Do you use a food delivery service?

Chris: “Meals on Wheels.”

Sue: “They’re very very nice people.  Three days a week Chris has  a meal delivered and they bring you a little bottle of milk and some cookies and some soup.”

Chris:  “Also, my girlfriend told me about DoorDash, for my phone, and I installed it.  We didn’t use it yet.  I want to use it, but I didn’t use it yet.” 

David:  What is one thing that is wonderful about living in your own place?

“A new PlayStation and my cat.  And I have [my girlfriend] in my life.  And this house.”

Jenny: That's awesome. So you're enjoying the whole experience.

“Yeah.”

Jenny: How do you get around your community?

Chris: “I’d like to catch a train, but I didn’t do that yet.” 

Sue: “Yeah, we do live near the train line. It's just two blocks to the train station.  And you could certainly do that with [your staff] one day. That would be fun, right?”

Chris: “Yeah.  I used to use the bus a long time ago.  When you step off, you have to look both ways.  [One time]  I did that, and there weren’t any cars coming, and suddenly a car zoomed right past me and it almost ran over my foot!”

Jenny: That's really scary!  I am glad that you were okay.

Sue: “Yeah.  Otherwise, you can walk to the Wawa or the CVS if you need to, right, Chris?”

Chris: “Yeah, if it’s not cold.  If it’s warm I can.”

Sue: “Yeah. Otherwise, he gets a ride with us or [his staff].”

David: Do you feel included in your neighborhood?

“Yeah.”

Jenny: Do you have social or community spaces you like to go to?

Chris: “Yeah. The gym, coffee shops, [a local deli], the pool, and a hot tub.  Mom, tell them everything about the hot tub.”

Sue: [laughing] “Yeah, we like to do that in the wintertime.  And then in the summer we belong to a local swim club, don't we, Chris?”

Chris: “Yeah. . . .  And my staff found a barber [nearby] to  cut my hair for a low price.” 

Sue:  “It's a neighborhood business, so it's very nearby.   I feel like if Chris can use local businesses in an ongoing way, people would get to know him.  And that's a good thing.  [Laughing] He used to have a barber named Dad, but we felt like maybe it was time to strike out a bit.”

Jenny:  What do you like to do for fun, Chris?

Chris: “I like to watch TV, watch movies, watch music videos, feed Ebenezer, cook dinner, play with the mouse-- Ebenezer has a mouse that I got for him,  a toy mouse.   

I can't find a place to do them right now, but… I like tennis and golf, and fishing.   You’ve got to be patient, but I'm a patient guy.  I love tennis and golf and fishing. And mom found a place for [my staff]  and I to go mini golfing.”

Sue: “What about the arboretum?” 

Chris: “Oh yeah, I forgot-- the arboretum.  I enjoy Mom taking me and my girlfriend to the arboretum. Actually, my girlfriend likes it and me.  If it’s a nice day--not a cold day or if it’s snowing or something like that.” 

Jenny: When you go to the Arboretum, what do you see?

“Plenty of flowers.  Trees.  Flowers.   It's like a whole bunch of flower displays. It's a large garden.”

Jenny: Chris, do you have a job? 

Chris: “I don't have a job currently.  Mom thinks it’s a good idea-- Mom said, “Chris, I think it's a good idea if we focus on getting you moved across the street before you focus on getting a job.””

Sue: “I did.  Chris was getting job search and job coaching services but when this idea came up, I said, “You know, Chris, moving is a big, big thing and let's just focus on that for a year or so.  And then when you get settled and established, you can start thinking again, about maybe a job or a volunteer position.”

David: What advice do you have for other people with disabilities who are thinking about getting their own place?

“I would say  “Go for it.” . . .  because I live on my own, and mom says I’m doing very well being responsible on my own, and I know how to handle stuff.” 

Jenny: Chris, thank you for talking to us.

David: Yes, thank you.

This project was funded by the Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Council.  To learn more about the project, please visit our Housing Myth Busting page.