Rachel

Home is where the heart is

Cornmill House, a development of 16 homes in the heart of Seacroft, Leeds, is a community which provides its residents with a place to put down roots for the long-term and become homemakers in the truest sense.

Opened by the Mayor in February 2017, the Specialised Supporting Housing development realised through £3.5 million of Triple Point capital, represents dignity, independence and choice.

Far more than that, it represents a place where residents such as Lee, Rachel and Steven can be their own people, live life to the fullest and have a place to call home.

For 31-year-old Great British Bake Off fan Rachel, Cornmill House is a place where she can express her personality, a passion for the colour purple and her love of unicorns.

A fiercely independent young lady, Rachel explains: “I didn’t want to have to live in an institutional setting or to have to live with old people because I’m not old, I just have a disability! Here, we are part of a community not just segregated or put away or living out of sight. I don’t have to share a bathroom, it’s not a medical place. It’s a real-life working home and it’s ours.

I like to give homely, feminine touches to everything, so coming here and being able to choose my own furniture and decorate it how I wanted was something I really relished because it was like the first step to adulthood.

I love the colour purple so it’s a big thing in my home. I love unicorns and butterflies and soft furnishings, so being able to do something like choose my own sofa to match my style was really important to me. I also grow tomatoes at the back of my home on the patio, so I’m quite green-fingered and I really enjoy watching the things I plant grow.”

Rachel, who has enjoyed learning media studies as a course, added: “So this is where you can put down roots, it’s where you can feel safe. It’s where you can feel loved. It’s where you can feel protected. It’s where you can live with dignity because you have your own home and all the support you need here too.”