Kandi Kehler has lived in Campbell River for most of her life. She is raising two kids here. And unless something turns around, she and her kids will be homeless in a week.
She got a notice from her landlord two months ago saying she had to move out. Since then, she’s been looking for rentals in town.
“Places are going in 15-20 minutes online. As soon as they’re listed they’re gone,” she told the Campbell River Mirror.
And places are getting more expensive. A Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) report from October 2020 said that two bedroom rentals in Campbell River were $1,148 on average. Kehler says most of the places she has seen are $2000 and up.
She has thought about moving to a totally different town, but she doesn’t want to move her son away from his high school now that he’s in his graduating year. “I’ve applied for Sayward, Quadra, Black Creek, Merville, all over. There’s just nothing.”
“I’ve phoned every hotel and cabin in town for a monthly rental, but since it’s summer now, none of them are doing that… It’s looking really bleak.”
Campbell River is reviewing how housing and rentals are growing in town, which will give them more information about what folks need in the future. But Kehler needs a solution now.
Kehler knows she isn’t alone. “Most people are only one paycheque away from homelessness,” she said. “I know I’m not the only one.”
