Last Christmas, Wendy Pallidor and her mother, Bev Rackett, celebrated the holidays in their rancher-style home in Delta.
Today, only five months later, the pair find themselves living in the dorm room of the emergency shelter at 3030 Gordon Ave. in Coquitlam, still stunned at the turn of events that led them to homelessness.
“No one’s mother or grandmother should be here,” Pallidor said outside the doors of the shelter. “You can’t rent in the Lower Mainland.”
Things started to go badly for the two women when their landlord decided to renovate the home they were living in for his own family.
Both Pallidor and Rackett have mobility issues and are on fixed incomes, putting them at a disadvantage in finding a place to live in the tight Lower Mainland rental market.
When they couldn’t find a home, they put their belongings into storage and moved into a hotel for a few weeks before eventually moving to the shelter on March 15. They are on lists to be put into subsidized housing but will have to call the shelter home while they wait for a spot.
“On the first [of May], we have a $300 storage bill,” Pallidor said. “We would much rather be putting that towards rent.”
With a combined income of $2,500 a month, she said they do not have many options when it comes to market rental. When they do find a listing they can afford, those are often snapped up quickly, Pallidor added.
“We went to an interview last night,” she said. “Fifteen people looked at one two-bedroom apartment… There is not enough housing.”
Ideally, she said she would like to stay in the Tri-Cities or Langley, where she has family, but is willing to expand the parameters if something comes available.
Sean Spear, an associate director of RainCity Housing, which oversees the shelter, said cases like that of Pallidor and Rackett are becoming more common. Many people do not realize how close they are to homelessness, he added, noting there are many cases where a minor change in someone’s life can cause a chain of events that lead them to living on the streets or in a shelter.
“You talk to many people who are like, ‘Wow, two years ago, I owned a place,’” Spear said. “They were in a perfect looking scenario and they think ‘How the hell did I end up here?’”
With changing demographics, Spear said more seniors are expected to take advantage of 3030 Gordon and other shelters like it.
“It can happen at any age,” he said. “You can imagine the things that can fall through — whether it is family supports or financial — that can lead someone to go into a shelter or transition housing.”
@gmckennaTC
