Housing an Issue in Southwestern Newfoundland
Imagine living as a family in two separate homes because you cannot find accommodations large enough to house you, your spouse and your four children. Or imagine living your entire life with your beloved spouse and having to be split up in your final years together because you require different levels of care that can’t be provided at one location.
These are some of the sad realities faced by individuals in Southwestern Newfoundland according to preliminary data from a Housing Study facilitated by the Southwestern Newfoundland Housing and Homelessness Committee.
The study incorporated questionnaires and focus groups for individuals experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness. Questionnaires and focus groups were also facilitated with service providers and administrators who work to support individuals who find themselves at risk of becoming homeless or having to leave their longtime home and family.
High at risk are individuals who have complex needs, women attempting to leave abusive relationships, individuals leaving the penal system, seniors and displaced youth.
The combination of a housing shortage, increases in mortgage rates and rental costs, loss of services to outlying communities, lack of appropriate supportive accommodations, and the too often seen attitude of landlords looking for the “perfect renter” (non smoker, no pets, no children, etc.) has left some of our most vulnerable population struggling to find a place to call home.