From tragedy to home ownership

In an instant Tom Spratt’s life changed forever.

A healthy, active 18-year-old, he crashed his SUV on Sydney’s busy M1 freeway. Thanking his lucky stars, he was shaken but unhurt, then called his dad and got out of the vehicle. 

He never saw the car that hit him.

When Tom finally woke in hospital, he had sustained damage including traumatic brain injuries and upper body nerve damage which left him without use of his left arm. It was the beginning of 8 months rehabilitation. Tom had to learn to talk, walk and perform basic tasks again.

And that is not all he had to learn. Tom could remember almost nothing about his life prior to the accident.

Tom had to start his life again. That is when Hume’s Neighbourhood Officer, Annah Sorrenson-Cox, met Tom for the first time.

In 2016, Hume offered Tom a modified affordable housing unit in Telopea, suitable for someone in a wheelchair. These units were built under the National Rental Affordability Scheme to meet the housing needs of low to moderate income earners.

Tom’s dad moved in to help care for him for the first 6 months. And at first, because of his brain injury, Tom had to accept a guardianship of all his affairs.

Annah says she had an instant connection to Tom, who was shy and reserved but had a cheeky smile. Hume always conducts customer wellbeing visits. During a wellbeing visit, Annah would not just be inspecting the property condition but also checking in with Tom and how he was managing. Did he need additional referrals or help?

Tom was working with a wide range of health professionals daily, but Tom’s dad had since moved out, and Tom was now living alone. Annah noticed he could benefit from being more socially connected. She suggested Tom join other residents in the shared Community Room for the monthly morning tea and to participate in activities such as a consultation program for artworks for the unit building.

It was through conversations encouraging Tom to join in, that the friendship between Annah and Tom deepened. “The sorts of things he started to get involved with took him out of his own complicated scenario,” she said.

Tom was very conscious that he was a young person with a disability and was also juggling a complex family background. He worried that people would judge him.

Annah, having grown up in public housing herself, could relate. “That does not define who you are. That is just your circumstances.”

“Having gone through that journey myself and saying I’ve been there, I’ve done that. I’ve got you. You know we are on this road together. It’s OK.”

Annah described her role as a sounding board. “It wasn’t that I made the decisions for him. It was just that he could bounce ideas and figure out how that decision may impact him.

As another step towards Tom’s independence and wellbeing, Hume offered his dad a rental unit close by to Tom. Now more connected to the community, Annah said “other residents at the Telopea property, also took Tom under their wing.”

The Telopea unit was central to Tom’s recovery. Tom felt it was important he could eventually cook for himself, which he could do in his modified kitchen. His brain injury led to poor memory retention, so being able to set up stable home and travel routines was important.

And as the years progressed, Tom continued to take control of his own life, being released from guardianship, securing a job at Coles, and beginning to study in the room he had set up. “It was proving to the world that he was capable, and he took charge of that - and I know that he is really proud of that,” said Annah.

In 2018, inspired by his allied health professionals, Tom decided on a career and is completing a Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance. Tom is well on his way to becoming an occupational therapist with a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy. Tom currently works as an independent support worker.

Although with lifelong disabilities, Tom can now walk again.

When asked about why he was able to show such resilience, Tom says it’s a choice he made.

“Resilience is about persistence and doing activities that exercise that. My motto was to make the best fresh start I could. To make
best of my life that I can, and I live by those words’ day in and day out, and they would inspire me.”

Annah says Tom is a very different person to the shy 18-year-old she first met. “He’s such a bright, happy person, so driven to give back and help others, “I think Tom shows resilience is a matter of keeping fighting to better than before. His family history, and his past decisions, are not going to define him and that he can be whatever it is that he wants to be.”

Tom has recently achieved something many 25-year-olds can only dream of, buying his first home and is now beginning the next exciting chapter.

Annah says for Tom it wasn’t just about buying the home. “It was about getting him to a place where he was able to make the right
decisions, able to care for himself and do all those things that he learnt in that time that he was with us.”

Tom describes Annah as “a legend”.

“She and the other team members at Hume enabled my resilience, both personally and professionally and in keeping stable housing.”

Annah says she is grateful to have been a part of the team who have created opportunities for Tom to prosper. “To see somebody, grow and be able to support them along that journey, that’s why I love my job” she said.

Tom and Annah still keep in touch.