Victoria women say transitional housing rule pushed them into homelessness
A Victoria woman is on the brink of homelessness after maxing out her stay at a transitional home.
“I’ve lived in my car before and I don’t want to do it again,” Robin — not her real name — said in an interview on Monday
Robin escaped domestic abuse, so CTV News is using a pseudonym for her safety.
She was told she had to be out of Harrison Place by Tuesday. The transitional home is operated by Victoria Women’s Transition House (VWTH), which put a three-year limit on how long people can live there.
“I need to find affordable, accessible housing,” said Robin, who has limited mobility. “My time is up.”
CTV News spoke with two other women who ended up in a similar position after living at Harrison Place. They said there are several others like them.
“[Harrison Place staff] literally helped me pack my vehicle knowing I was going to sleep in my vehicle,” said Rhonda Savard, whose three years expired last September.
“We’re vulnerable women and we need to be treated as gentle as gentle can be," Savard added. "And that’s not gentle."
'RIDICULOUSLY INEFFICIENT SYSTEM'
Victoria Women’s Transition House said there are many women waiting to get into Harrison Place.
“If we didn’t have an end date, then our program changes completely,” said Makenna Reilly, executive director for VWTH. “We become affordable housing rather than a transitional housing program.”
Many women succeed in finding housing after completing the transitional program, Reilly said.
“I don’t think I’m set to start advocating that we extend the stays until we have more evidence that it really is needed,” she said.
Another former resident said she ended up living in a friend’s trailer last spring after spending three years at Harrison Place.
“Why are you putting somebody out on the street with a pat on the back and a see-you-later as you’re opening the door for the next client?” the woman told CTV News
Homeless advocate Nicole Chaland said VWTH should take Vancouver Island’s housing shortage into account and rethink the three-year cap.
“This is a ridiculously inefficient system,” Chaland said. “To actually be spending money on transition programs and the end outcome being people are homeless? That’s dumb.”
FINDING A 'UNICORN' HOME
BC Housing funds some VWTH programs. The government agency said it does not provide operational funding for Harrison Place and therefore is not responsible for choosing how long people can stay.
“It is essential for housing providers to move residents through the various levels of the housing continuum in order to provide access to the many women that need it,” a BC Housing spokesperson said in a statement.
“[Staff] provide a range of services aimed at helping women rebuild their lives, including housing supports.”
Robin said some help was offered, but the onus was on her to find an accessible home with rent that didn’t eat up too much of her social assistance funding.
“It’s a unicorn. They don’t exist,” Chaland said.
While homelessness is highly visible in some cases, Robin said stories like hers are often hidden.
“The housing crisis is far larger than people realize,” she said. “I’m just a throwaway because I don’t make enough money.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What's a Barnacle? It's yellow, sticks and screams if you try to pry it off your car
Barnacles, bright yellow devices used to make sure parking scofflaws pay their tickets, could soon be making their way to cities across Canada.
Verdun Airbnb listing taken down amid complaints, fines and frustration from neighbours
An Airbnb in Montreal's Verdun borough was the source of much frustration from neighbours who say there were constant parties at the location. It has been taken down from the app, but housing advocates remain upset about short-term rentals.
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
They were from different countries and barely spoke each other's languages. More than 20 years later, they're still happily in love
He decided to spend Christmas somewhere that wouldn't involve snowstorm disasters. She was spending the holidays with family, travelling for the first time outside of her native country of Venezuela. 23 years later, they're still in love.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
A Nigerian chess champion plays the royal game for 60 hours - a new global chess record
A Nigerian chess champion and child education advocate played chess nonstop for 60 hours in New York City's Times Square to break the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon.
Fire in Labrador town under control, officials tells residents to stay away
RCMP say the fire that prompted a state of emergency in a Labrador town is now under control.
12 students and teacher killed in Columbine school shooting remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
Thirteen victims of the Columbine High School shooting were remembered during a vigil Friday on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the shooting that was the worst the nation had seen at the time.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.