How HPHH helped Brittany make her first friend since school

Brittany is a resilient young woman living at home with her family of humans and pets. She experienced major setbacks in high school due to bullying and struggling with severe anxiety, but she didn’t let this hold her back.

Inspired by her love of animals, she started pursuing a career in veterinary nursing. However, during her work experience placement in 2020, the pandemic began, which meant she could not continue temporarily. This was extremely disappointing for Brittany.

During the pandemic, she struggled with what she refers to as ‘episodes’ where she felt unable to control her body. Brittany bravely advocated for herself and asked to be assessed for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by her doctor. After receiving her diagnosis, she felt immense relief and could start receiving the help she had been searching for.

Hearing about HPHH through a job provider, Brittany decided to join the HPHH community 6 months ago in our Handle Program. More recently she was invited to join the employment pathway program Explore.

HPHH was an excellent fit for Brittany as she always wanted to work with animals in a rescue facility. She also loves interacting with people who she can relate to. Her favourite thing about HPHH is she can finally just ‘be herself’.

“I hid myself from the moment I entered high school; I tried to go with the flow and be like everyone else,” she said.

“[At HPHH] there’s no judgement. You can be who you are. It’s safe, and the people just accept you for you.”

Brittany is making friends at HPHH for the first time since primary school, which she said is ‘really special’.

“I haven’t had an actual friend who has been willing to take the time to understand and get to know me since primary school. It’s nice to have a friend who understands [me].” she says.

Brittany loves everyone at HPHH and is proud to be a part of such an inclusive and kind community.

“Thank you for making me feel welcome, appreciated, safe and not judged. Thank you for everything,” she says.

Joining Explore was a great stepping stone for Brittany on her employment journey as in previous jobs, she has had trouble with keeping them or had to leave due to her mental health as working was making her ‘extremely ill’.

“I didn’t know what I was allowed to ask for. I didn’t know I was allowed to ask how much I got paid, when I got paid or anything else,” Brittany says.

“[Explore] definitely helps me and I’m getting the help to look at my resume and build my skills to be able to keep a job.”

On every job application letter, Brittany says she is available every day except Tuesdays because this is her HPHH time.

“Tuesday is HPHH day. I’m not available. Even if there’s an emergency happening, I’m not there,” she says.

Within the first two months in Explore, Brittany has secured a trial shift at a local burger joint. She is really excited about this and feels that she is better prepared to take on new employment opportunities.

Brittany is proud of herself for interacting with all the people she has met.

“Voicing my own opinions is something which I’ve never really done before. [I love] being able to be myself without judgement. I’m starting to teach myself how to just be with other people,” Brittany said.

While Brittany doesn’t notice all the changes in herself – as we all often don’t - she says that everyone in her life does. Her mother says that she is becoming more independent and resilient thanks to HPHH, and that it’s ‘nice to have her girl back’.

“You are not hiding in your room as much. You are becoming more resilient,” her mother says.

Brittany says: “I’m proud to be a part of the program and makes a big difference to the animals and make friends and to like myself; it feels good. I would recommend [HPHH] to anybody who feels like they need somewhere safe to be themselves and who love animals. I would 100% recommend HPHH.”