Sophie
Sophie was diagnosed with autism when she was 2.
During her early 20s, Sophie lived in a shared tenancy with four other people but found sharing the space could be very stressful and also limited opportunities for her to develop her independence as she had to share a bathroom and kitchen with others
However, in 2019, Sophie moved to The Hollies after having visited with her family, who have been involved in the move and enjoy visiting her in her new home.
She has described The Hollies as being ‘perfect’ for her because it provides plenty of private living space as well as giving her much-needed independence to manage her own time and personalise her own space.
Support Workers at the Hollies provide emotional support for Sophie and work on building her confidence to enable her to make decisions for herself, which supports the development of her independence.
Sophie has made friends at The Hollies. She enjoys going out with her friends bowling, taking trips to the cinema as well as eating out at restaurants and going shopping.
Sophie takes a great deal of pride in her apartment, taking care of the interior decoration and choosing her own furnishings. A lover of stylish interior design, she collects figurines and memorabilia and decorates her flat with these.
She plays an active role in The Hollies neighbourhood, chairing tenants committee meetings, regularly bringing feedback to Bolton Cares and offering suggestions about how the service could be improved.