Mental Health

Helping your child find the perfect place

Hope*

Reprinted from the Housing as a Human Right issue of Visions Journal, 2022, 17 (2), pp. 18-19

When it was time for my son to be discharged from his last stay in hospital, he moved to a short-term facility (maximum stay eight weeks) while awaiting an assessment from Community Living BC.

Unfortunately, the assessment didn’t occur in time, and my son was told he would have to find another place to stay. Since this would be his first housing search, staff assisted by describing his housing options and providing information and support about where to look for potential rentals in our small northern city, what to say to landlords, etc. As long as he was actively looking for accommodations, his stay was extended. I have to admit, I feared for his chances, given the affordability crisis in our area.

Our son called many places and staff drove him to some hotels looking for a monthly rental. All hotels were occupied except one, which had an upcoming vacancy in a room with kitchenette. The hotel staff said my son would need a credit card before he could rent it.

My son went to his bank, which informed him that he would need a job to be eligible for a credit card. When I heard this, I contacted the bank and clarified that our son receives Person with Disability (PWD) income assistance. They replied that they would need a letter confirming the income and its duration.

My son went to Service BC, which provided him with a printout of his monthly income. He took that to the bank, but they said the printout was unsatisfactory. I went there on my own and requested an explanation. They said our son would not be eligible for a credit card without proof of income. I continued to advocate on behalf of my son, explaining the difference between regular income assistance and PWD assistances and encouraging the bank representative to review my son’s account. I later spoke with an outreach worker with the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction, asking if the ministry could write a letter to the bank. In reply, they said that due to confidentiality, the ministry could only describe the contents of the form, nothing more.

During a second meeting, the bank let my son know that they had reviewed his account, but they questioned why he was receiving less income than before. My son explained that the majority of his PWD income was being paid to his short-term facility. The bank needed a letter to prove this, so we got the staff there to write one. Within a couple of weeks my son was approved for a credit card. Sadly, the hotel suite with the kitchenette was no longer available. For me, and for my son, this was frustrating.

Our son received information about a rental that a staff member had found on Facebook. We drove our son to see it. The basement suite was outside of city limits, with few nearby bus services, but our son liked it. He asked the owner if they would take a hundred dollars less, and the owner agreed as long as my son would help with yardwork (mow the lawn, stack firewood, etc.). The owner asked our son many personal questions about his disability and wanted a list of his medications, saying this was for his own safety.

The next day, my son called to say he would take the place, asking when he could come by to have his shelter information form filled out and signed. This form was essential for him to receive his full PWD income assistance. The owner refused to fill out the form, saying he’d had too many problems when using these forms in the past. Our son was very upset about this and how the owner raised his voice on the phone before hanging up on him. I also called, but the owner just yelled at me and said I asked too many questions then hung up.

My husband and I explained to our son that things happen for a reason. We know he really wanted the basement suite, but perhaps it was for the best. The owner had asked too many personal questions about my son’s disability, and it was not okay that he had requested a list of his medications.

Our son was starting to give up on finding a place. He felt stressed and worried that if he didn’t find something soon, he would have to go to the shelter. It distressed him to imagine losing his personal space and, possibly, his belongings, if the shelter limited what he could bring.

My husband created a Kijiji account and we told people in the community that we were looking for a rental. There were a lot available—just very expensive! Affordable places were too far out of town and had limited bus services. We needed a rental that was within city limits so our son would be eligible to receive what the government calls life skills services—training for independent living.

We received some responses to our requests of, “Is this place still available?” or “I’m interested in this place. When can I view it?” We accompanied our son to a viewing of what we thought would be the perfect place. It was a detached, fully contained furnished unit with a full kitchen, dishes and laundry facilities on a bus route within city limits. The price was a little high, $1,100, but it would be manageable with the

Supported Independent Living (SIL) program subsidy from the government. Our son completed and submitted the application. The owner stated that calls would be made within a week.

After a week and a half, I called to find out if the place was still available. It was. The owner stated in an apologetic tone that they had worked with persons living with a disability before, but now they were too old to rent to someone on PWD. “We just don’t have the energy,” they said. I explained that it had been challenging to find someone who would rent to my son because he didn’t have a job or references. How is a person supposed to have references if they’re looking for their first place? The owner said they were sorry and wished us luck. I called my husband and cried. I thought our son would never find a place.

Thankfully, through my husband and I spreading the word at our mental health support group, my son found a different basement suite. He may still come to our place often for emotional support, but I feel we’re moving forward.