SPOKANE, Wash. – After losing his father to suicide last month, a 29-year-old disabled man is searching for housing and work of his own after he was suddenly and tragically plunged into the unknown.
“I’m just trying to navigate whatever comes,” Matt Piccolo said.
Matt Piccolo was adopted before birth and has lived with his father his entire life. He was born with Spina Bifida, which means he does not have a tailbone. Along with that condition, Piccolo also suffers from Hydrocephalus, which basically means he has a lot of water in his brain that is unable to drain naturally. Piccolo also has autism.
Sufficed to say, he has faced many challenges throughout his life; but the morning of October 21, 2023, will forever stand out in his mind.
“I woke up that morning to go eat my breakfast and start my day as usual, and I look into my dad’s office… by the time I found him, he was cold,” Piccolo said.
The young man’s adoptive father had killed himself overnight, the scene Piccolo described was heart wrenching. By the time first responders arrived at their home in Grand Coulee, it was too late.
“Dad was always a stay-at-home dad because I came along after he retired,” Piccolo said. “But he taught me quite a bit, so did my mom – they both taught me how to cook, how to bake, how to build.”
Life skills that Piccolo has carried with him, yet he still cannot completely care for himself. His father was his sole care provider, and it was just the two who lived together; Piccolo’s mom passed away years ago, and his three siblings are scattered across the country.
Piccolo said his brothers thought moving him to Spokane, where services are, would be helpful.
“They don’t really have the resources to help a person in my situation right now,” he said.
Yet, resources are slim. Money is tight. When Piccolo’s dad died, so did half of the young man’s financial income.
“Dad and I survived solely on our social security; it took both of us to keep the place afloat,” Piccolo said. “So, now that he’s gone, that half of the money is history.”
Right now, Piccolo is staying at the Days Inn on Division, but that cannot be a permanent living situation. And, he said going to any of the homeless shelters across town is not the best option, either.
“Shelter life is not really conducive to allowing a person like me to live,” he said.
With shelters off the table, Piccolo is looking for wheelchair accessible, affordable housing of some kind; he is open to options, whether that be an apartment, a home, or even living with another family.
Luckily, he is not entirely alone while he navigates this unknown chapter without his dad. Good friends are by his side.
“He’s just someone who really deserves better than he’s got in the last month or so, and certainly better than he’s gotten in his life,” Don Bell said.
Don Bell’s son, John, is good friends with Piccolo; they met about a decade ago in a support group for young adults living with autism.
Bell has helped pay for Piccolo’s hotel stay within the last week, he said he knows he is someone worth helping. Yet, having lived in Spokane for 18 years, Bell knows resources are slim for populations in need across the Inland Northwest; the demand is incredibly high.
“We’re looking at a waiting list of up to a year for housing for Matt, and that’s just not tangible for someone in his situation,” Bell said.
A GoFundMe has been set up for Piccolo to kickstart his financial recovery without his father, and to hopefully lead him in the right direction of housing and possibly a job. Click here if you would like to donate.And, if you know of anyone hiring or of any wheelchair accessible and affordable places to live, please reach out to us.
“He’s had a lot of tough things he’s had to overcome, and he’s truly an inspiration,” Bell said.
