1970 - present

Hilton Levy has lived in Bondi all his life, is a regular at Sydney Roosters games and has swum with Icebergs year-round since he was a young man. He has a busy social life going out to dinner and movies with friends and attending musicals. Hilton has successfully completed the City to Surf for the first time this year with a time of 2 hours and 57 minutes.

Hilton was diagnosed with an intellectual disability at a young age and lived with his mother until 2016, when his family asked the Waverley Community Living Program, run by Waverley Council, to support Hilton in his bid to become more independent.

A collaboration between Hilton, his family and the Waverley Community Living Program saw his skills assessed and a training plan arranged so he could prepare to move out of home. Hilton began receiving individual support and started attending learning groups at the Mill Hill Centre and in the community.

His skills and confidence developed quickly, and he was able to move into community accommodation in Bondi Junction in February 2017. Since then, with ongoing support, he has been living in a shared 2-bedroom unit.

The Waverley Community Living Program provides individual and group training to help foster independence for people with diverse abilities, including shopping, cooking, housekeeping, planning, budgeting and socialising with peers and the wider community.

Hilton continues to hold down a job at Mascot, expand his social networks and engage in the social activities he enjoys. He has come a long way from the reserved man reliant on his mother to the capable and confident person he is today.

With his confidence and skills continuing to grow, Hilton has a long-term aim to live by himself. The Waverley Community Living Program will support him with his move into an apartment in the local community he loves so much.

Courtesy of the Waverley Community Living Program.