Housing Myth Busting Community Spotlight: Michael K.
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 of the prevalent 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.
Over the coming months, we will be sharing a series of Community Spotlight Interviews. These interviews highlight the stories of individuals with disabiltiiles who are living independently in the community.
Our first Community Spotlight interviewee is Michael, who lives in his own home in Philadelphia County. Michael is 65 years old and lives alone. Before retiring, he worked in a nursing home and in a flower shop. He has strong connections to his family and to the Arts Community in the Philadlephia region.
This is Michael’s Community Spotlight interview. It has been lightly edited for length, but the words are all his own.
Where do you live?
“I live in Philadelphia. I live in a house. I am a homeowner. I’d like to advise other people with disabilities to be a homeowner like I am.”
What is one thing you know now that you wish you’d known before you lived on your own?
“I wish I’d known that it’s a lot of responsibility to own a house. There’s a lot of upkeep to the homes. I’m glad I can hang on to the house. [Homeowners] have to pay property tax and homeowner’s insurance and mortgage payments.”
Who helped you plan to live on your own?
“I taught myself how to do laundry. I make sure I have enough detergent and the machine is in good condition. I make sure not to put too many clothes in the machine at once. My grandmother taught me how to cook. I followed her rules and she was an excellent cook.”
How are you paying for living in your own place?
“I get Social Security Disability, SSDI. I put it into my bank account so that I can pay my bills. My property tax and homeowners insurance are paid online through the bank. I make sure that it’s set up online to come out automatically. I pay for groceries with my debit card. I have to make sure all my other bills are paid before I buy groceries. I have to make sure there’s enough money in the account. I check my statement to make sure.”
Do you feel you are receiving enough support? What are those supports?
“Yes. My family helps. We do things as a family, like going to restaurants. My [direct support staff] comes and we go shopping together, and sometimes to the barber shop.”
How long have you been living on your own?
“I’ve been living on my own since my mother went to a nursing home. She passed in 2017. It was a big adjustment. It was hard when my mother went into a nursing home, and I miss her. I was my mom’s caregiver before she went into the nursing home because she lost her skills and got weak. Even when she was at the nursing home, I visited her and helped by washing her clothes.”
What skill do you think has been the most important for living on your own?
“Have a good income. You have to have a very good ability to take care of repairs. . . . When you own a house, you pay for the repairs. When you rent, the landlord arranges the repairs, but you have to keep on them to make sure they send for the repair people. You have to know how to manage money and pay your taxes. You have to know who you can trust [to complete home repairs]. You have to know details about the house. You have to have good credit if you want a mortgage to buy a house. You have to make sure your pots are clean, you have to dust, and you have to make sure it’s clean when company comes.”
What is one thing that is wonderful about living in your own place?
“When you own your house, you can do what you want to do. You don’t have to follow anyone else’s rules. . . . In a group home, you have to follow their rules, but when you have your own place, you make your own rules. You can go to bed when you want to, eat when you want to, look at TV when you want to, and go out whenever you want.”
Do you have housemates? Why or why not?
“I don’t have housemates. I like living alone. Some people can’t afford to live alone, so they might have a housemate to share expenses. I like living alone because I can do whatever I want to. If I had a housemate, I might not be able to have friends over whenever I like.”
Do you feel included in your neighborhood?
“Yes. I don’t see too many people, but some of my neighbors are friendly. Some of them have been here for a long time, like me. I go downtown a lot to visit people, to visit art galleries and people I know.”
Do you have social spaces in your community that you use or go to frequently?
“I go to Center City. I like going to the art galleries. I like areas with lots of art. Philly has some problems, but in the areas with art galleries, I feel comfortable. I go to a barbershop downtown. There’s a nice mall downtown too. . . . Sometimes I travel. I go to Jenkintown. My friend has a gallery there.
What advice do you have for people who want to live in their own place?
“I hope they can succeed in living on their own like I do. You might have to have somebody assist you. You have to have an income to pay your bills and money for grocery shopping. Social security is one source of income, plus money from a job. People should know that you have to catch sales when you go to the grocery store.”
This project is funded by the Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Council. To learn more about the project and how you can get involved, please visit our Housing Myth Busting page. To learn about upcoming Housing Myth Busting presentations, visit our events page.
