Street Level

Kamloops resident Jackie Jones isn’t homeless — yet.

But she’s one of many who live on that precipice, where one unexpected bill, one delayed cheque, and the world she’s been slowly rebuilding for herself and her young child will come crashing down.

And that day might come sooner than she wants.

You see, Jackie readily admits she’s not the smartest person around and, in an attempt to start a home-based business that would work for her and address her disability, she missed some of the hoops the government has applicants go through.

She didn’t realize it, though, started the business, watched it fail miserably and shut it down.

While she doesn’t have the income she made from it — at least the income that is on the books, which is offset by the expenses she incurred — the provincial government thinks she made that money, so they’re not paying her the June instalment of persons-with-a-disability benefits.

And they want her to repay the amount of income they say she made during those few months she tried to establish her business.

And that means no money for Jackie and her daughter.

Jackie told her story to about two dozen people who gathered at the Henry Grube Education Centre this week to brainstorm ways to address homelessness in Kamloops.

Most represented agencies, landlords and concerned citizens.

Jackie represented the homeless. And she was only able to do that because someone looked after her child and she caught a ride to the centre, something she said isn’t easy for other single parents out there who want to be part of the solution but find the process isn’t user-friendly — at least not marginalized-user friendly.

Jackie’s not the typical homeless person. Even her disability is one of those invisible ones that make it hard for her to get services. She can walk, talk, make sense, isn’t looking for the nearest crackhouse, not waiting for Welfare Wednesday to blow her cheque at the liquor store.

Her disability, while invisible, makes it hard for her to do some of the simple things of life: carry her daughter, do the laundry, carry bags of groceries. Each time she picks up any weight, it causes her excruciating pain.

When she applied for benefits, she was told to find a place to live.

That’s not easy in a city where there are few vacant apartments and townhouses.

Jackie told the group she found some that were cheap, but they weren’t places in which she wanted to have her daughter live.

In fact, she said, she wouldn’t even want a dog living in them.

She finally found a place that met all her physical needs, and in which she wasn’t afraid to let her daughter live — for $1,000 a month.

That’s too much rent, she was told by her government worker.

Find something cheaper.

Go to the agencies out there.

And she’s done it. She’s gone to those agencies. They all have waitlists.

For example, Interior Community Services, which provides housing to families, has about 250 families — yes, families — on that list. And these aren’t people looking to move out of a dive into something better. These are families that ICS executive director Paul Sibley told the group are virtually homeless. ICS doesn’t even consider moving someone who already has housing into one of their vacancies.

The Elizabeth Fry Society, which also provides housing, has a waitlist of more than 100.

So there’s Jackie.

She knows she’s paying too much rent. She’s not getting her benefits in June. She’ll be getting reduced benefs for months afterward. She’s trying to build a life for her and her child.

She knows she’s made mistakes, but she’s trying to fix them in a system that sees no grey — just black and white.

And she’s not alone. The agency representatives at the forum, the ones who are on the frontlines every day, working with people like Jackie and others who aren’t as strong in reparing their lives, live with this.

And they agree on the solution.

Kamloops needs housing.

It needs supportive housing.

It needs affordable housing.

It needs it now.

And the best guess, according to these people who confront this social ill every single day? Kamloops needs 500 rental units. Now. Today.

And there’s nothing grey about that fact.

Posted by Dale at 9:59 a.m. Comments