A domestic violence survivor rebuilt her life in this Hamilton apartment. After a fire, she's homeless again
CBC
When Margaret Beattie moved into a one-bedroom apartment in Hamilton seven years ago, her only piece of furniture was an upside down milk crate.
She'd sit on it in the evening and read by candlelight, feeling at peace, she said.
In her late 40s at the time, Beattie said she had moved straight from a shelter into the 15th storey unit at 20 Emerald St. N. — her first home on her own. Before that she'd been homeless or living with an abusive partner who, she said, fuelled the heroin addiction she battled for years.
"I had a husband who beat the hell out of me for 15 years," Beattie told CBC Hamilton. "I got away over and over again and he always managed to find me."
It wasn't until after he died that Beattie said she was able to overcome her substance use and rebuild her life within the safety of her apartment.
But now, after a recent fire destroyed the apartment and all her possessions, she has to start over, again.
At about 3 a.m. on April 23, Beattie was sleeping on her pull-out couch in the living room when her rescue dog Heddy frantically nudged her face, awakening her to the sound of crackling.
Beattie said she sat up and looked around, stunned. Flames were climbing the wall behind her head and spreading across the ceiling and floor. She ran to the kitchen, grabbed a frying pan, filled it with water and splashed it toward the flames.
But the fire continued to spread.
"I grabbed my dog, dog food, my purse and ran out," Beattie said.
The fire destroyed everything she'd filled her home with over the years — mismatched furniture, knick-knacks and artwork to remember her friends and family who'd passed away.
Now, nearly two months later, the "nightmare" continues, Beattie said. About a week after the fire, Beattie said the building's property management company DMS promised her a new unit, but hasn't followed through.
The property manager is not returning her calls, she said.
"When you're ignored by some who has a literal key that can help you find a new home, the loss of hope is absolutely devastating," Beattie said.
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