Independent Living

You might be asking yourself, what is independent living? And why should I know how to do it? The answer is simply that it will help you to become more self-sufficient and capable of managing your own life. If you’re reading this and are in high school it’s likely that you are living with your parents, when it’s time to leave for university, it can be difficult to adjust living on your own if you’ve never experienced it before. This section ties in with all the other life skills outlined on this website. The overall goal is for you to understand how to become self-sufficient and what it takes to do.

I won’t go in depth about what is needed, that’s because the skills you need are already listed here on this site. However, I’m going to provide additional information on the things you should know about when living on your own. Mainly important resources to use and safety.

Depending on where you’re going, whether it’s for school or just moving to your own apartment, it’s important to know what kind of resources are available for you to use in your area. They’re even better when they’re free or cheap

Here are some located around the Treasure Coast and Florida:

• Habitat for Humanity: A non-profit organization that provides very affordable items for the home such as furniture, tools etc. They have locations set up in Indian River, Okeechobee, Martin County, Jupiter, Riviera, Greenacre and Palm Bay. Habitat for Humanity
• AutoZone: AutoZone provides free services for cars. These include, reading the code on your check engine lights, testing a car batteries voltage, installing new wiper blades and many more! You can look at the site for more details: AutoZone Services – Free Services, Trustworthy Advice & Rewards  

It’s important to know the emergency numbers of the area you live in.

Poison control:

• 800-222-1222
• The number is universal around Florida, this number connects to the main poison control center.

Fire department:

• Indian River County: 772-231-2451
• Martin County: 772-692-0837
• St. Lucie County: 772-621-3516

Police department:

• Indian River County: 772-978-4600
• Martin County: 772-781-3378
• St. Lucie County: 772-871-5001

Sheriff’s department:

• Indian River County: 772-569-6700
• Martin County: 772-220-7000
• St. Lucie County: 772-462-7300