Unable to find affordable housing, 82-year-old living in Victoria shelter
SARAH PETRESCU / TIMES COLONIST
OCTOBER 29, 2014 09:58 PM
All I want is a room somewhere
Far away from the cold night air
With one enormous chair…..
Ah, wouldn’t that be loverly?
I have been indulging myself in creepy fantasies of just this sort of thing happening to me, and others like me..
I am lucky to have a partial pension from work, but it doesn’t do very far, and it just covers my rent (but not utilities…)
I realize that, compared to this woman, I am doing okay, but…
Who knows for how long? Being a senior used to be something that, frankly, I looked forward to…my time being my own, and a bit of comfort out if the weather…after many years of physical labor in all weather, I thought that I could finally be free of the need to worry..but guess that never leaves us…
Canada’s cities are often touted as the most desirable places to live, etc…blah blah blah….
The one I’m in now is a beaut, I am happy to be here in many ways..but it is super expensive, and now food is getting to the point where I will have to be very careful what I buy, and where..
This issue was not part of the rosy picture I painted for myself, thought that I had budgeted carefully , assuming I would always have enough. Now? Not so sure…
Senior’s grants in BC have supposedly gone up but I see no evidence of that..the SAFER grant, a bit extra for those of us who rent, has just been fiddled with and as of December, I will be making $100 less as a rent subsidy than before…a huge amount for me, but still, I can manage if I’m careful…
I feel so much empathy for this woman, and all the elderly men and women who also are in this same situation..what can be done?
I have no answers, but the chill of November just entered my soul after reading this. Autumn has always been my favorite time of the year…up til now.
Left Over 