Rosaleen Jesse is expecting to be homeless by 1 p.m. on Friday, July 23.
The Campbell River resident, and her partner, Jim Sawatzky were told on July 20 they had until that time to remove all their belongings from the top floor of a house they rent on Niluht Road.
“This is insane,” she said, fighting back tears. “There’s nowhere to go.”
The pair were originally served an eviction notice on May 3, 2021 citing late payment of rent.
Jesse insists her partner had sent the funds over via Interac e-transfer, but noted it was two minutes late arriving in the landlord’s account.
“It arrived at 12:02 a.m. May 2,” she said.
The instance was the third time they were late for rent (Dec, Feb, and May), but each time was within a day or two.
Jesse, who can trace her family history in Campbell River back five generations, recently completed schooling in social work, and has been unable to find a full time job.
Her partner, whose family has been in the city for four generations, has been employed in the logging and mining industries, but has had difficulties finding work during the pandemic.
They rely on government support to keep afloat.
Since May, they have brought the eviction case to arbitration, but a recent hearing did not go their way.
READ MORE: 12 days left: Campbell River family at end of lease with nowhere else to go
READ MORE: New affordable housing complex near Rose Harbour gets its development permit
Jesse noted she does not even feel comfortable living in the house she is being kicked out of. She claims the tenant they share the house with has three sick cats which defecate often.
“I have a six-year-old boy,” she said, “I had to move him into his aunt’s place, as the smell from the cat feces is absurd.
“I’m having asthma attacks, I can’t breathe, and I’m getting allergies like you wouldn’t believe.”
Yet, the facing the daunting housing market is scarier to her than staying in what she describes as a barely livable apartment.
‘We’ve probably looked at 60 different places,” she said. “Every time we go somewhere there is a wait list, and there are people ahead of us.
“It was insane how many people are looking for houses. One place told us they had 300 applicants.
“Its really bad out there.”
Before the pandemic hit, Jesse said she worked at the John Howard Society, a social services organization in Campbell River.
“It struck me, how many people there where who are homeless, that should not be homeless,” she said.
The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation show vacancy rates in Campbell River to be at 0.7 when last calculated in October 2020. Those rates are among the lowest in Canada for communities with between 10,000 and 50,000 residents.
“I don’t think we would have moved here if we had another option,” Jesse said.
“Now we’re screaming for help. Somebody has to do something.”
To provide the couple with information, or a hand finding housing, reach out to them at jsawatz@gmail.com
ronan.odoherty@campbellrivermirror.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
