How Nest is making a difference for people with disability

As the year of 2018 is rapidly heating up it is clear that so are the usual aspects of life. Personally, as a young adult well into my late twenties I can safely say that I am thinking about the exact same thing that affects many people in my age bracket, which is living out of home.

My name is Gretta and I am extremely excited and absolutely honoured to be one of the first bloggers on Northcott Innovation’s online home matching platform NEST.

One of the main reasons why Nest excites me is due to the fact it creates such ease to find an accessible home. I have many memories of me spending hours on end, looking for accessible shared accommodation or an appropriate living situation for me. I have always known that my home situation had to be the perfect balance of meeting my physical requirements whilst allowing me to live independently and enjoyably. I have cerebral palsy, have limited motor skills and am a wheelchair user, which means I look for a home that I can comfortably live in while also mixing in with the fact that I am also a university student, have a great social life, love my alone time and also particular about the certain locations I would live in.

As I tried to think of solutions, my mind raced at the options that could enable me to live independently. Naturally these solutions have varied and included ideas such as living with my able bodied friends, offering to pay their rent in exchange for me staying with them between my hours of care or the options of finding a suitable group home with staff and facilities that suited me. Thankfully, after many years of searching I have been able to find a part time share house with one of my best friends, who is also one of my favourite carers and her partner, who has also become a great mate of mine. Fortunately, thanks to my flexible care agency HireUp, this situation can be carried out easily, with me booking in one night of care per week whilst also living with my friends, which means my rent helps assist them in paying for their mortgage. For both my friends and I this solution is ideal and has created a “win-win” situation for all of us, allowing me to have my physical requirements met and also allowing me to hang out with my friends, giving me a taste of a young lifestyle.

I remember vividly, when I was searching endlessly in my journey trying to get to place I am now, I always wondered if there was a real estate available for people with disability. I dreamt of a site that would eliminate non accessible homes, as it felt impossible to find a home with a ramp or even an accessible shower. This is why I am so excited about Nest, now we can all easily see what is out there, allowing us to search for an accessible rental and shared accommodation, in the location of our choosing. From my perspective, as a young woman with many aspirations, I am extremely relieved that Nest has arrived and I am so excited to watch it grow rapidly.