I am writing this letter with great frustration in my heart. My children and I have been calling Oak Bay home for two years. I am a full time hardworking single mother of two children and for the first time in my life I am faced with nowhere to live. I have been a homeowner for 22 years and since a seperation in 2016, have been tossed into the ugly world of renting in Victoria.
Not only does one have to deal with shady landlords and leaky taps, but the worry of where can I live with my children and let them keep their pets. I looked at 22 units last weekend and all but one were ‘no pets’. The lineups to view these rentals was heart wrenching as 10-30 people tried to make their best impressions with some bidding higher on already overpriced rent.
The ever growing Tent City pulls at my heart because I now know what being homeless may look like, with one child going into Grade 4 and the other I am trying to help send off to university.
Something needs to change.
Some people have said “just get rid of the cat.” How can I do that to a little boy who already has lost so much in his parents not being able to make their marriage work? How cruel to take away his best buddy.
Home owners renting should be ashamed of themselves as they force others to pick between a roof over ones head and the love of another living creature.
I am a mother of two and for the first time in my children’s lives I am terrified of not being able to provide a decent home. That’s not right. I am disappointed in the city I have always called home.
Jolene White
Oak Bay