Kamloops mom on disability barely staving off homelessness
A Kamloops resident on disability with terminal cancer is one paycheque away from being homeless, along with her two teenagers.
Cristle Jasken moved from Alberta to the tournament capital 18 months ago.
“My relationship wasn’t working out, and having a hospital nearby and parents who live a drive away in Clearwater is important because of my cancer,” she said.
But with sky high rent costs and not enough affordable housing options available, Jasken is slowly backsliding financially and fears for the future of herself and her kids.
Unfortunately, she is one of hundreds of British Columbians struggling to survive in an ongoing housing crisis.
“I can’t afford to get into a mortgage because my disability benefits are not even covering my bills at the moment,” she said. “I’ve been a paycheque away from homelessness since moving here.”
READ MORE: Renters in Kamloops, Kelowna struggle more than homeowners to afford shelter: StatsCan
All of the income Jasken receives every month including disability and GST cheques totals $2,100. Her monthly rent cost? $2,750.
“Thankfully I have RBC Insurance but it isn’t enough to cover the rent, I’m just slowly getting further behind.”
According to Statistics Canada data from the 2021 census released Sept. 21, 36.1% of renters in Kamloops paid more than 30% of their income on rental costs, 43.7% of renters in Kelowna were in that unaffordable range.
Jasken said she feels lucky she was able to find a place to live, needing a three bedroom and permission for a pet.
She was able to get a rental for the second time beginning of this year after her previous landlord sold the house from underneath her. It was the only available rental she could find at the time so she grabbed what she could get.
“Everything was above my budget,” she said. “Even if I got an interview with someone, renting to a single mom and two kids is apparently risky. I would go see a place and would be the thirteenth person it was shown to. Landlords would tell me they would receive over 80 applications for their rental.”
READ MORE: Putting Kamloops, Okanagan housing prices in national perspective
The Canada Mortgage Housing Corporation’s October 2021 rental survey showed the vacancy rate in Kamloops at 0.9%. It's considered healthy at four per cent.
If she is unable to keep up with her bills, Jasken’s only option is to move her family into her parent’s home in Clearwater, which would be a cramped situation and near a hospital that is experiencing regular closures due to short staffing issues.
Jasken has appointments at the hospital every three months in Kamloops along with lab work, and other appointments in the city with physiotherapists and chiropractors to manage her health.
She is uncertain of what the future holds and is taking things one day at a time.
“It has been hard, it is stressful,” she said. “I’m grateful though, people are in worse situations. I know of a family of six living in a trailer. There are so many problems out there right now for families.”
Jasken is looking at getting on a list for lower cost housing but said the list is really long.
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