Julya Hutton is from Surrey, B.C. and loves her home. It is a place where she can relax, feel safe and be herself. She considers her home sharing providers family.
Julya has served on the board of the Home Sharing Support Society BC since it was formed because she wants others to have the same experience.
Home sharing is a CLBC funded service where an adult with developmental disability lives in a person’s home and receives support and services based on their personal goals and needs. Home sharing services are offered in many ways. Some people live with a family, others live with a roommate or a couple and some may live in a separate suite that is part of the home.
Julya Hutton, Home Sharing Support Society BC Board Member.
For me, my home share is a place of comfort and for me to be free and have my own open voice. It’s a place where my self-advocacy began and I have taken charge of my own life.
I love to travel. I love adventure because it gives me an open insight on the world, and it gives me an understanding of what people are like. I am most proud of becoming independent.
My home sharing providers are super inclusive. We are like a family. What makes me feel comfortable is that I can speak freely with them. For our mental health, when something’s on my mind, and it’s bothering me, or something’s bothering them, we say it.
I got involved with the Board of the Home Sharing Support Society when it began. This was my first time on a board. Sometimes I just listen to people, because I want to find out their feelings, and it showed me how much work we need to do. And then, after some time, when things started getting done, it was amazing!
One time I spoke up about who we should focus on. Should we focus on the home sharing providers? Or should we focus on supported individuals? I remember saying that all parties need to be equally recognized. They live in the same house, and they both contribute. If both parties are not going to communicate, their mental health is going to go down.
There should definitely be more people with disabilities who serve on boards. It gives them a voice, because they are a vulnerable group. The more people say, the more you learn from them.
For the future, I hope that I hear from individuals in home sharing that they are happy, that they love where they live. And for home sharing providers, that they are happy with the people they live with. I think there will be recognition of what people do, and this will open up to even more positive stories.