Eron's story
With the diverse range of services Communify offers, often our clients will engage with various different supports along their journey with us. And on occasion, we have been lucky enough to bring clients on board with us as valued employees after they have radically transformed their lives. This is the inspiring trajectory that our former client, and now part-time employee Eron Waller followed.
After being initially referred to our Springboard program in 2019 to recover from addiction and complex mental health challenges, Eron then received ongoing, tailored mental health support through the Recovery and Discovery Centre and his allocated NDIS Support Coordinator. Now, after years of sheer hard work and perseverance in his recovery journey, Eron is thriving as a valued Communify employee, working part-time as a Peer Support Worker and Group Facilitator in both The Way Back team and our Recovery and Discovery Centre. Eron is also commencing work with the Safe Space team.
Eron was referred to our Springboard program by the Hospital Alcohol and Drug Service (HADS) unit at the RBWH for structured, ongoing treatment after struggling with bipolar disorder, complex PTSD and AOD issues for several years.
“I had been existing and not living for a few years – just going to work, then coming home and isolating, and being consumed more and more by my addiction. My mental, physical, spiritual and emotional health was on a great decline and my admissions to hospital were becoming more frequent. So participating with the Springboard Program seemed the best way forward.”
Through participating in the Springboard program, Eron gained invaluable skills to manage his addiction and mental health, and he found the courage to completely transform his life. After completing the program, Eron went on to volunteer in the Springboard team, and this opened other doors for him within Communify’s network of supports.
Eron was referred to the Recovery and Discovery Centre and was assigned a social worker, who introduced him to various physical education workshops to build capacity. He was then allocated an NDIS Support Coordinator who helped him secure an NDIS package. Eron now sees three support workers four times a week for social support, as well as fortnightly sessions with a psychologist and weekly consultations with an exercise physiologist.
With the help of his NDIS package, Eron has achieved many personal goals, including improving his fitness and health, building meaningful connections with peers, strengthening his mental health, and recovering from his addiction. Obtaining employment with Communify is an achievement of which Eron is particularly proud. After having worked in Mental Health on and off for nine years as a Peer Support Worker and Group/Workshop Facilitator, Eron’s new lease on life following his recovery reignited his passion for pursuing a career in the field:
“By nature I have a very positive and proactive approach to people, places and things I come in touch with. Some of my values I strive to live by are honesty, integrity, loyalty, courage, gratitude, compassion, open-mindedness, sense of a higher purpose and humour. I consider myself to be a person of strong character. I now work part time for The Way Back Support services and the Recovery and Discovery Centre as Peer Support Worker and Group Facilitator, which I really love!”
Eron’s story is a remarkable example of how engaging with Communify can create lasting, positive change in our clients’ lives. We work with clients to help them discover the power within themselves to shape their own future. Eron has inspired many with his strength, determination and depth of insight.
“Being involved with Communify as both a participant and a worker has been extremely worthwhile and quite life-altering for me. I have gained so much more self-respect, dignity, new direction, motivation and real hope for the future. I have found the staff at Communify incredibly supportive, knowledgeable and insightful, and the fact that some of them have their own lived experiences has made my journey even more invaluable. I’m forever grateful to them, they’re very special souls!”
Do you need help like Eron?
Communify’s NDIS support services aim to help you live your best life. We work beside you to help you achieve your goals, delivering tailored, flexible supports and an inclusive, strengths-based approach.
