Susan’s Journey: A story of perseverance
December 11 2020
One of the most recent team successes starts with Susan and her 4-year-old son.
Susan had a relationship breakdown with a best friend that she was sharing an apartment with, leaving her homeless and seeking shelter.
She worked tirelessly to support her son and find housing in his school zone, while also trying to find a new place to call home.
Susan, like many other single supporting mothers, was searching for housing on an Ontario Works budget until her son was old enough so that she could go back into the workforce. Unfortunately, with no family support and the price of childcare, this was Susan’s only option to sustain herself and her son.
Susan finally found a place for her and her son after going to 9 housing viewings and making sacrifices regarding her housing wants and needs. But every time, she heard the same response: “We just don’t think that this is enough space for you and your son,” or, “we ultimately decided to go with a single working adult instead”. With Susan’s limited budget, she was forced to try and make a home out of either a bachelor or one-bedroom apartment. She often gave the bedroom to her son and made herself a space in the living room.
Susan felt completely defeated. She felt guilty for letting her son down and not being able to provide for him and get out of the shelter.
However, Susan persevered, and with the help of the housing stability worker, she was able to secure a two-bedroom apartment in the city of her choice.
It took Susan 10 viewings, but ultimately, it worked out as a best-case scenario, providing her with adequate housing just on time for Christmas! With her perseverance and some help from the YW, Susan and her little one enjoyed the holidays in their new apartment, in which they found some peace and stability.
