This single dad makes $75K a year. He can't find affordable housing in Vancouver for him and his son
CBC
Karl Eaton has been working since he was 16 years old.
Today he has a full-time job with Telus, making approximately $74,900 a year, but the 55-year-old single father says his take-home pay isn't enough to afford a two-bedroom apartment in Vancouver for himself and his son.
"I'm gonna be homeless in probably 30 days if I don't find a place that I can afford — reasonably afford — without it taking my whole salary," he told The Early Edition host Gloria Macarenko.
Eaton and his 18-year-old son Tristan have been living in basement suites for the past two years but kept having to move when owners sold the property or moved their relatives into the suite. They're currently staying with a friend, but they need to find a place to live by July 31.
"I'm pretty frightened," he said. "If I can't find a place, am I gonna be living out of my car? I'm not sure what I'm gonna be doing. I'm not sure what I'm gonna do with my son."
Eaton says his bi-weekly paycheque is about $1,550 after taxes. That works out to about $3,400 a month over the year.
According to latest numbers from Rentals.ca, the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Vancouver is over $3,600.
Eaton says he can't find a two-bedroom apartment for less than half of his salary, which he needs so he can afford other expenses like groceries and paying for his son's post-secondary education.
He posted a plea for help finding an apartment on a Kitsilano neighbourhood website saying he does "not see any help for someone in [his] position."
"I earn just enough not to be able to use single-parent status, but not enough to provide a home for my son, even though I have worked and paid taxes in Vancouver for 39 years."
Eaton is on several waitlists for co-ops and Metro Vancouver Housing. He says he's looking for anything affordable on the Lower Mainland, as far as Coquitlam, about 30 kilometres east of Vancouver. He even reached out to the constituency office of Premier David Eby but was told he doesn't qualify for subsidies.
With his $75,000 annual salary, Eaton is above B.C. Housing's maximum income limit of $72,000 to qualify for two-bedroom affordable housing.
"I have to be broken or homeless to get help, even though I'm a functioning member of society," he said.
Eby says Eaton's situation is a reality for far too many British Columbians.
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