Editor:
On June 1, I received the eviction notice. The first in my 71 years of living. After almost 20 years of renting on a beautiful waterfront property in Roberts Creek, it was sold by the second generation. I had to move within the legal limit of two months.
It was impossible to find decent affordable, long-term rental opportunities on this Coast. By mid-July I was told there was no storage until possibly September and I could not find an affordable place to move into by the time I was obligated to move. I felt panicky. As a mental health professional with a doctorate degree and over 30 years of clinical experience, I knew many ways of coping with stress, yet I was severely challenged to practise what I had tried to help so many others to do to manage their stress. Several choices and circumstances beyond my control had led up to the present situation. Real estate is a cyclical investment. My timing was unfortunately unlucky, and history was now repeating.
With days to my eviction before new owners arrived, I was able to find accommodations in a community on the Coast which required double commuting time to my office, and more monthly rent for one-third the living space. I am grateful for having found anything decent in today’s desperate, unaffordable housing market.
The affluent of society and the government inertia regarding foreign investment and lack of regulations affecting short-term rentals have made this situation unlivable for too many. I am now included in that population who almost became a member of our homeless. This must be addressed now. It is unacceptable that homelessness and unaffordable housing for hardworking, law-abiding people continues to exist. The government must act now to address this all-important issue. Comfortable citizens who have benefited from the real estate boom need to have more understanding and compassion for the impact their choices are having on so many.
Toni Stevens, Ph.D., R.Psych., Garden Bay
