KAWARTHA LAKES-Soaring homes prices are adding to an already tight local rental market as landlords cash out.
In a matter of days a local mother and her three children could be homeless, living out of a hotel, couch surfing or seeking help from nearby shelters.
As the housing market continues to go haywire with high, unpredictable pricing and fierce competition, Ashley Smith, like many others is impacted like never before as she faces the possibility of homelessness with her children after her rental home was sold. (Name changed due to privacy concerns)
Smith has reached out to the city, the local MPP, Laurie Scott, shelters, support groups and more but help and solid answers are nowhere to be found.
“They’re all kind and polite and resourceful to the best of their ability but there is no answers, there is nothing, I’m getting very aggravated and my question is, I work, and it’s okay for me to have no home and no help but if I didn’t work and had some sort of issue, they would help me?” she said. “They say their hands are tied and everything is a waiting list, I applied for housing and it’s anywhere from a five to 10-year wait, it shouldn’t be like that, I don’t understand.”
Smith has maintained a reputable job with hours that greatly vary from month to month. As a single parent, running a busy household and paying her bills hasn’t always been easy, but Smith has always managed to keep the family afloat. When her landlord recently sold her home, finding a new rental unit to house her family of four has been nearly impossible in the Kawartha Lakes.
“Pricing is ridiculous, for a three-bedroom, we are looking at anywhere from $2,500 plus, depending on location,” she explained. “I’ve applied and no response back, that’s what you get constantly, no response from landlords, or they want credit checks, which has nothing to do with rent being paid, I’m going to make sure my kids have a roof over their head and food in their bellies before the cable is paid.”
According to Smith, she has attempted to contact countless landlords with rental units available but is either quickly denied or she never receives a response.
“I do understand it is high demand and probably a crap ton of people are calling them so sometimes I do understand, they could be overwhelmed as well but when somebody is constantly messaging, sometimes they read them and they just don’t answer,” she said. “My stress level is very high, every option or suggestion, I’ve already done it, call housing, call MPP, call this, call that, I’ve already done it all.”
According to Michelle Corley, Housing Manager, Kawartha Lakes, the city has resources on their website and staff can support people who need assistance in searching for rental advertisements, and tips on how to approach a prospective landlord. The city can also assist low-income households with last months rent deposits, she said.
“Like most communities, we too have seen an increasing need for affordable housing, and now we are seeing a new trend that many landlords are opting to sell their investment properties given the current real estate market which is causing people to be displaced,” said Corley. “We have 2,312 households currently waiting for Community Housing.”
Corley also noted that there are currently 123 households currently homeless across Kawartha Lakes and the County of Haliburton.
“A part of the solution is to build more affordable housing, to increase the affordable housing supply,” she said. “The Affordable Housing Target Program is one avenue to do this. We need support from all levels of government and various partners to make this happen.”
For Smith, every avenue of help seems to end with a closed door and the possibility of moving into the local hotel is nearing closer to reality for her family.
“If I can afford a hotel, that’s what it will be, I don’t have any other choice, I don’t have any family,” she said.
And while Lindsay is and has always been home, Scott is willing to uproot her family and reside in a one-bedroom apartment for the time being.
“We can suck anything up for a year, I said to the kids, we can make anything work, who knows what can happen in six months or even two months,” she said. “They’re (kids) stressed, they’re unsure, they’re willing to leave Lindsay if they have to, they get it but they’re not happy.”
According to Dave Tilley, Chief Operational Officer of A Place Called Home, 64 Lindsay St. South, the community need has been extremely high since the start of COVID with their occupancy at 100 per cent, most of the time.
“We are finding that individuals, couples and families are all struggling to find housing and those who get into shelter, tend to remain longer as fewer rooms and units come onto the market,” he said. “We are seeing a disproportionate number of families with children being displaced at the moment, which is extremely concerning. Currently, we have over 40 people in shelter.”
Tilley noted that while it is difficult to pin down the actual impact as the housing market has been all over the place for the last few years, there has no doubt been a tightening of the rental markets in the region, and it isn’t surprising given the bidding wars and increases in the value of the property, he said.
“As landlords start selling off properties, new buyers may not be interested in keeping rentals, meaning more and more of our clients find themselves with nowhere to live,” he added. “The need has always existed in our community, though it might not always be obvious. Rural homelessness is not the same as urban, as people will sleep rough, stay in unfavorable circumstances or couch surf just to keep a roof over their heads.”
According to Tilley, before COVID, the shelter was frequently at capacity and this problem continues through both COVID and the current housing situation and the current circumstances are exacerbating it.
A Place Called Home will be part of the City’s Homeless Enumeration this fall, which will work to provide an accurate count of homelessness in the community. “These numbers will likely paint a more accurate picture of the challenges the current housing situation has created,” he said. “With the sale of property being a more common occurrence, tenants should be aware of their rights and if there are concerns, the community legal clinic is an excellent resource if tenants have questions about evictions, proper notification and more.”
Tilley noted that the current trend is very concerning with available rental units decreasing quickly.
“We are seeing fewer rooms and apartments for rent and the cost of what is available is creeping higher and higher to the point where total unaffordability for those in poverty will become a very real issue,” he said. “With rooms for rent regularly crossing the 600-dollar threshold, low-income earners, people on any form of social assistance and those on fixed incomes or pensions will have their resources stretched significantly, placing more focus on services such as ours, food banks and other social agencies to help close the gap, just so people can survive.”
The City of Kawartha Lakes has a number of assistance programs that community members should investigate and access if needed. This includes things like rental arrears, rent smart, as well as programs to assist with home repairs. We encourage people to reach out to the city at 1-877-324-9870 if there are questions, he added.
“We know this is not a circumstance that is unique, even in our region. Unaffordability is an issue many communities are struggling with and with the real estate pricing in the GTA, the increase in work from home style jobs and the migration out of the major centres, the Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton are extremely attractive destinations as we are still affordable.”
For the last four years, Smith has become all too familiar with bouncing around Lindsay from one rental unit to the next, but she always found a way. But her hope is quickly dwindling.
“All I keep hearing is their hands are tied, from the city, I don’t understand, there are no resources for good people? I’m not a person to give up but I don’t understand,” she said. “At this point, it’s down to days, why wouldn’t they try to help. If I put my furnishings in a storage unit, they may help me with a hotel, but I don’t want to go with three kids, but if you think about it, to try to find first and last, a storage unit and hotel costs, I’m shit out of luck.”
With no concrete plan, Smith and her family have slowly started to pack small trinkets and items in their current home before they have to say goodbye. What comes next for the family of four is unknown.
According to MPP Laurie Scott, Ontario’s housing systems have been under significant pressure for years.
“That’s why the government introduced More Homes, More Choice: Ontario’s Housing Supply Action Plan to address Ontario’s housing crisis,” she said. “This plan is actively putting more affordable homeownership and rentals in reach of more Ontario families to provide more people with the opportunity to live closer to where they work”
She also noted that early signs of progress from the plan are positive, as housing stats last year were up 15 per cent compared to the previous year. We have not been able to independently confirm that.
The government has also taken an active role in promoting more and different kinds of housing, including tiny homes, co-ownership, life-leases, and secondary suites, she added.
“And through our Community Housing Renewal Strategy and response to COVID-19, we are projecting to invest over $3 billion in 2020-21 and 2021-22, which will help sustain, repair and grow community housing and address homelessness in Ontario,” said Scott. “Should tenants need help to pay their rent, they are encouraged to contact their local service manager about what housing supports may be available to them.”
The City of Kawartha Lakes Service Manager received a total of $5,944,630 from the province through the Social Services Relief Fund. According to Scott, this funding supported the purchase of motel and hotel spaces to support physical distancing of shelter residents, hire more shelter staff, purchase personal protective equipment (PPE) and cleaning supplies, and add to rent and utility banks to prevent more people from becoming homeless.
A portion of this funding is also supporting the current expansion and renovation of A Place Called Home including a new 19-bed shelter along with five new affordable housing units, one 4-bedroom house and four 1-bedroom apartments, she said.
“If I could buy, damn I would,” said Smith. “Just to know it’s mine and I have a home every day.”
Anyone with information on available rental units can contact Kawartha411 at [email protected]
