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Hi, I'm Jaz from Australia, an Autistic Content Creator and Disability Advocate. I also have a Service Dog, Chloe, who is my lifeline.
Due to my disabilities, I am homeless.
I had a tent but it got ruined in recent storms and completely flooded out. I desperately need a new tent that's big enough for me and my assistance dog to live in.
I'm fighting for long-term disability housing.
(Quick note: If you struggle reading long texts, and your device has the option to read text aloud, I suggest doing this)
In 2018, my disabilities were deemed significant enough to meet the criteria to gain access to Australia’s National Disability Scheme (The “NDIS”). I became what’s called an “NDIS participant” – a participant in the scheme.
The problem is, being accepted into the NDIS doesn’t automatically mean that housing-related disability needs will be met.
Since 2022, I have been requesting housing support but have been unfairly rejected, despite having all the appropriate documentation and reports.
Unmet disability related needs have been leading me into homelessness time and time again.
I’m in crisis - experiencing extreme Autistic burnout.
I am struggling to pay for a storage unit for my belongings.
Unfortunately, the storage unit leaves me without constant access to essential equipment needed for my disabilities (read on for more).
I cannot find or access any suitable housing that meets my disability needs (this is explained in more detail soon)
I have nowhere I can go.
This fundraiser will help me stay afloat in the tent. In the meantime, I need to focus on long-term housing, as the system continues to prevent me from accessing the housing I truly need.
While I survive in the tent, I am also trying to raise enough money for a safe, secure caravan to live in — something stable that I can try to manage long-term with my disability and my assistance dog.
I’ll post the GoFundMe link as soon as it’s ready — but for now, survival is the priority.
If you can help, even a little, it will go directly toward my survival and a chance at stability.
Living in a tent isn’t free, and it comes with constant unexpected costs such as:
• Site fees (sometimes these need to be paid in advance)
• Warmer clothing such as gloves, socks, pants, good quality jackets and thermals (I'm Asthmatic, and cold is a trigger.)
• Electricity to use my laptop and iPad for emergency contact with my disability support workers, and to assist me with my advocacy work (sometimes I'm non-verbal, so I rely on my iPad to read text aloud to communicate. If my devices aren’t charged, I am at risk of being unable to communicate)
• Food and access to fresh water
• Electricity (maybe a generator, if possible, to help with cooking, heating and preventing me from hospitalisation from Asthma.)
• Emergency funds in case I or my Assistance/Service Dog become unwell or injured because of living in a tent
• Storage costs
• Hot meals in winter and or portable cooking appliances/equipment (such as a small gas stove)
• Any other unexpected costs that may arise
Every donation helps me care for Chloe, too - she's more than my service dog – she is affectionately known as “best friend” - and we've been a team throughout all of this, and she's keeping me going.
Please Note: I'm Being Forced Into Homelessness — and No One Will Help
I’ve been failed by both the NDIS and the mainstream services that are supposed to protect people in crisis.
I'm being forced into a tent with my service dog, in the middle of winter, with no heating, limited food, and no safety net. I need help to make this even remotely survivable.
Because my situation is currently tied up in the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART), the NDIA’s legal representative says they can’t provide any help, and that I’m not funded for Short Term Accommodation (STA) OR Medium Term Accommodation (MTA) — even though I’m mere hours away from having no safe roof over my head.
I’ve also been denied support from mainstream homelessness services — the ones everyone should be able to access — because I couldn’t meet ableist requirements in the past.
Things like:
• Keeping rental diaries
• Moving frequently with no stability
• Expectations to attend constant appointments and keep in constant contact with service providers that triggered autistic burnout
• Neglecting the needs of my assistance dog and holding unreasonable expectations for someone with an AD.
Some of the initial requirements were eventually removed by the emergency housing provider. I was made to feel I should be grateful for these changes, but reducing the number of demands doesn’t erase the ones that remained. I still couldn’t meet them all, and because of that, I’ve now been labelled “non-compliant” and shut out entirely.
________________________________________
Please donate if you can.
I’m doing everything I can, but the system has locked me out – again!
Only this time, I’m stronger, ready to take action, and I recognise that I can’t do this alone.
Your support will go directly to making the harsh reality of tent life in the middle of winter more survivable while I continue fighting for long-term disability housing.
Any help right now would go directly toward keeping me safe in a tent while I make serious plans to do some incredible things.
My Commitment to the Disability Community:
We’re in this together.
I stand for marginalised people with disabilities, as a voice to help represent our lived experiences and will do whatever I can to ensure our voices are heard and validated.
Despite my current housing crisis, I have created a petition to the Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, the National Disability Insurance Scheme and the Administrative Reviews Tribunal to try and fight for real change for people with disabilities.
I bring REAL ideas to the table – such as a proposal for an "NDIS Platform" - a space for people with disabilities to express their feelings, communicate their support needs, and be heard and truly listened to.
My experiences have been nothing short of horrific and debilitating at times, and I’ve witnessed firsthand exactly what needs to change in the system.
I figure I have a choice.
I could let homelessness and my disabilities break me, OR - I could use my circumstances as an opportunity to be a catalyst for change.
I’m opting for the latter.
With that in mind, I decided enough is enough.
I want to ensure that people with disabilities in Australia are protected and cared for during a crisis such as mine.
I am not prepared to give up, and I will fight for the rights of all people with disabilities.
You can help me too. Share the petition with your network and help me fight for change!
Also; if you have already signed the petition and/or supported me in any of my other GoFundMe fundraisers - Thank you!
Please know, I will give back as much as I can to the community in whatever way, shape or form my disabilities allow for.
I’m back again, stronger this time.
I wouldn’t be here without the support from those who believe in me.
I am not prepared to give up, and I will fight for the rights of all people with disabilities.
For those who provide face-to-face support and friendship, thank you so much for being here for me.
I’m still here, I’m still alive.
The house I thought I was moving into a few years ago didn’t work out due to my NDIS disability funding not covering it – the same battle I’m still facing, and unfortunately, I never actually moved in.
Since then, I’ve bounced around different unsuitable living options for years.
I tried to fight the battle alone because I thought I needed to rely on myself. I’d already overcome anxiety around asking for help initially, and I didn’t want to keep asking.
But now, here I am again, and this time around, I’m prepared to fight even harder, with drive and determination to use my circumstances to change the system.
How you can help me:
If you’re following my story and can’t donate to my GoFundMe, that’s okay! Many of us are on pensions or struggling to afford the cost-of-living crisis.
Please leave the donations to those who can afford to.
There is something *everyone can do*!
Get involved with my petition.
Sign it, share it and tell us about your experiences or thoughts about what's happening to me and what needs to change.
Share my GoFundMe to help me survive and see this through to the end
Write to Australian Politicians - tell them your thoughts and urge them to take action - tell them why this issue matters to you.
Share my story on social media with friends, family and disability advocacy organisations worldwide.
I realise now that asking for help is a sign of strength, and there is tremendous strength is built when we come together for a cause that means something to us.
Thank you again for being here for me.
To recap (if you skimmed over this and didn't read it all)
Your donation will support:
My short-term survival in a tent (warm clothing, cooked meals and other non-perishable food, power, medical costs, safety needs for me and my dog – plus any other unexpected costs)
✊ My Advocacy Work: Continuing to push for systemic change through my change.org petition and lived experience.
Also, short-term survival doesn’t help with a long-term solution.
So, I’ve come up with a plan.
And here’s how you can help:
A tiny home on wheels!
I will also be seeking donations to purchase a safe and accessible caravan (to be towed behind a car) to live in. This would keep me out of extreme weather and help me survive in the long term, allowing me to continue working on my advocacy goals until my housing supports can be approved in my NDIS plan.
– (Petition link for the caravan: coming soon)
I have under 24 hours to leave my current shelter — and now I’m running out of time to pack up and move everything out.
This is survival. This is urgent.
Just last week, I was taken in an ambulance to the ER because my power went out, and I was relying on the heating to prevent an asthma flare-up.
I don’t know how much I’m going to need, but donations of any amount will help me survive the following days and weeks. Having nutritious and precooked meals will help me stay strong and build my immune system.
Having the right gear to stay warm and safe may also help keep me out of the hospital.
Please donate, but only if you can.
Every bit helps me survive this immediate crisis — and stay strong enough to keep fighting for change.
Thank you.
- Jaz from Australia
Autistic ADHDer
Musician
Content Creator
Disability Advocate and Change Maker
+ Lots of other things due to my ADHD
Organizer
Jaz S
Organizer
Haymarket, NSW