A place to land, then back to abuse? Vancouver Island woman flags housing gap
If you’re experiencing domestic abuse, Victim Link BC is available 24/7. Please call or text 1-800-563-0808 or email VictimLinkBC@bc211.ca. Additionally, the Vancouver Island Crisis Line can point you to the right supports for your region. Call 1-888-494-3888.
A Vancouver Island woman has managed to get out of an abusive home, but fears she’ll soon be right back where she started.
Julie, a pseudonym CTV News is using to protect her identity, said she’s been calling housing providers for months. She gets the same answer every time: There’s no space available.
The single mother said she lucked out last week, when a loved-one introduced her to a housing support worker they happened to know.
“I find it really strange that I’ve been calling all the time trying to get a spot for months and can’t because I'm told there are waitlists, and (the support worker) makes one phone call and I’m able to get in,” Julie said.
She and her son moved into a transition house on March 10.
“He keeps asking me, ‘Are we going to go and get a house, you and me, mommy?’” she said.
Stays at the transition house are limited to 30 days, so Julie said she fears they’ll have nowhere to go once the time is up.
“It’s an unsettling feeling not knowing where you’re going to be in 30 days,” she said.
B.C.’s Housing Ministry said transition homes can grant extensions, especially given the ongoing housing crisis.
“When someone makes the courageous decision to leave a violent relationship, they need housing available right away,” a statement from the ministry reads.
“For too many people, we know that isn’t the case right now, given the pressures of the housing crisis and tragic increase in gender-based violence coming out of the pandemic.”
'FIND A YES PERSON'
The province has a 10-year, $734-million plan to build 1,500 housing spaces for women and children fleeing violence. In the meantime, Julie said people are trapped in dangerous situations.
She’s calling for greater financial support for survivors, who may have been financially drained by abusive partners. Julie set up a GoFundMe campaign with the hope of raising enough money to land a rental home.
“It makes me sad there isn’t that help for women and it's discouraging … to keep on trying every day,” she said.
Still, Julie is encouraging others to do exactly that.
“If you’re talking to someone and they say no to you, you’re just talking to the wrong person,” she said. “You need to find a yes person.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.