By Kerrie Portman
The Guardian
“When I got sick and had to self-isolate, I was without help. My electricity was cut off, I ran out of food and I had to skip meals.”
When lockdown began, nearly all my university classmates went back to live with their families. But I don’t have the emotional support or safety net of a family. I didn’t see anyone I knew for 13 weeks.
As an autistic care leaver, the hardest part of dealing with the Covid pandemic has been the neglect and lack of support I have experienced at my accommodation.
At the beginning of lockdown, I suddenly got very sick with coronavirus symptoms. Though I told staff at my accommodation and my local authority, nobody got in touch to see if I needed anything. I had to self-isolate and suddenly I wasn’t in control of basic things, such as getting food or topping up my electricity. During my illness, my electricity was cut off, I ran out of food and was forced to skip meals to make it through the week.