Vernon, B.C. families living in motels due to lack of housing
Global News
It's another sign of the deep housing challenges facing the Okanagan, a Vernon, non-profit says it's seeing more families with kids in need of help finding a place to live.
It’s another sign of the deep housing challenges facing the Okanagan, a Vernon, B.C. non-profit society says it’s seeing more families with kids in need of help finding a place to live.
In fact, Turning Points Collaborative Society says it currently has 12 families with 26 kids living in hotel rooms.
“Two years ago we would never see a family in our homeless services and now that is a regular occurrence, it’s not unique anymore,” said Randene Wejr, the executive director of Turning Points Collaborative Society.
“We see families every single week that are unable to find places to rent. They can be two-income families. Affordability isn’t the single issue any more it is just a piece around what may help lead to homelessness. What we are finding is that housing stock availability is the number one reason that families are homeless.”
Christine and her five children are one of those families.
Global News has agreed not to use her last name to protect her kids.
Since last October, the family has been living in a unit at a motel next to Highway 97 that Turning Points Collaborative Society found for them.
If it wasn’t for the motel unit, the mother of five says her family would likely be couch surfing, because competition for affordable rentals is stiff.
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