This Halifax woman makes about $50,000 a year – but still can’t find a home | 24CA News

Rae-Leigh MacInnes is bored with not having a spot to name residence.

The 44-year-old is a registered therapeutic massage therapist and earns about $50,000 a 12 months, however has been homeless for months as she has been unable to safe everlasting housing.

“I keep trying, every day,” MacInnes advised Global News.

Most of her furnishings and belongings are put away. She’s in a position to hire a storage unit, however not a house.

For now, MacInnes has been couch-surfing and staying with associates, however she acknowledges that isn’t sustainable.

If she will be able to’t discover a residence, she worries about what this implies for others – these on decrease incomes, and who may not have associates to stick with.

“There’s so many people out there that do make less money, and they deserve the same thing,” she stated. “They deserve to have a home too, that they feel safe in.”

‘You feel defeated’

MacInnes, who additionally attends college remotely, stated she spends hours on daily basis scouring Facebook Marketplace and Kijiji for residences. She estimates she inquires about roughly 30 per day.

“This is a full-time job in itself,” she stated.

Just attending to the appliance stage is uncommon, stated MacInnes, as items usually get scooped up by another person inside minutes or hours of being posted on-line.

“When you’re doing that daily, it just becomes very defeating. You feel defeated. How am I going to find a place?” she stated.

“I’m trying my best, it’s not from a lack of trying. I’ve contacted everyone on Kijiji, everyone on Facebook Marketplace, and I’m staying on top of these things, but it’s taking up all my time. It’s taking (away) from my studies.”

MacInnes stated she ended up in her state of affairs “very quickly and unexpectedly.” About a 12 months in the past, she lived in a long-term rental within the metropolis together with her son. She moved to the Annapolis Valley final summer time to pursue a piece alternative, and her son introduced in a roommate.

The alternative didn’t work out, and resulting from an absence of labor within the valley, she got here again to town a pair months later. MacInnes couldn’t return to her outdated house as a result of the area was taken by her son’s roommate.

That’s when the hunt started, she stated.

“It was incredibly hard to find anything. The minute I would message someone, they would tell me, ‘Well, I’ve got like 10 people coming to look at this unit already,’” stated MacInnes.

“And that’s if they responded at all.”

MacInnes remembers a time — “it wasn’t that long ago” — when it was tenants, not items, that had been in demand. Housing was cheaper, and she or he recalled some rental firms even providing incentives to new tenants to attract them in.

Now, it’s utterly totally different. Just one room can value upwards of $1,000, and lots of the accessible residences inside her finances ($1,400 to $1,500, however “ideally” decrease) are short-term leases of just a few months.

MacInnes is focusing her search on long-term leases, as transferring is dear and the considered having to pack up and alter places each few months is an excessive amount of to bear, particularly within the metropolis’s tight rental market.

All she needs is a spot the place she will be able to reside and really feel snug together with her housing state of affairs.

“We are becoming so complacent with it being OK to say, ‘I’ll settle for this,’ rather than, ‘I deserve to be in a home I feel safe and comfortable in,’” stated MacInnes.

“I don’t think anyone feels safe anywhere.”

1:59Nova Scotia protesters name for inexpensive housing, finish to fixed-term lease loophole

After getting back from the valley, MacInnes was capable of finding a short-term rental for 4 months. While dwelling there, she continued her seek for a spot to reside.

She widened the parameters of her search and located a spot she might afford in Truro, the place she lived for a few months.

But one other blow got here when MacInnes misplaced her automobile after hitting a deer on the freeway. With no transportation, and an absence of labor in Truro, MacInnes was compelled to as soon as once more return to Halifax within the winter.

Months later, she nonetheless hasn’t discovered a house, regardless of having a very good job and rental historical past.

“Although I have lots of work – there’s no shortage of work – there’s nowhere to live,” she stated.

The uncertainty of her housing state of affairs is taking a toll on her well being and wellbeing. MacInnes is asking for extra housing to be constructed, and quick.

“I know there’s been some progress with housing being built … but that’s not enough. Not even close to being enough,” she stated.

‘All income levels’ impacted by housing disaster

In an announcement on behalf of the provincial authorities, Department of Housing spokesperson Heather Fairbairn stated: “It is always very concerning whenever we hear of circumstances where people may be struggling to secure housing.”

“The reality is, the housing crisis impacts people of all income levels,” the assertion stated. “There is a need for more housing of all types in Nova Scotia. That is why government is working together with our partners on a variety of solutions.”

Fairbairn stated over the previous few months, the province has invested greater than $80 million in “almost every region of the province to create more housing options.”

This contains modular housing choices for health-care and expert staff, fast housing initiatives, scholar housing, and short-term housing for folks experiencing homelessness.

She stated the province can also be offering funding to protect, modernize and enhance present inexpensive housing and public housing, and to develop the neighborhood and non-profit housing sector.

However, Housing Minister John Lohr stated on the legislature earlier this month that the province doesn’t intend to construct extra public housing, as an alternative specializing in higher managing the present public housing inventory. Advocates have lengthy been calling for the general public housing inventory to be elevated.

“We know it will take time for new housing to be built,” Fairbairn’s assertion stated. “In the meantime, there are supports available for those who may be struggling. Rent supplements may be an option for those eligible applicants who may be in severe housing need.”

This hire complement is barely eligible for individuals who spend not less than 50 per cent of their earnings on housing. It was quietly modified earlier this 12 months, successfully lowering eligibility, because it used to require that candidates spend 30 per cent or extra of their earnings on housing.

Fairbairn additionally stated folks with out housing can attain out to the Shelter Diversion Support Program to be related to accessible assets, resembling housing assist staff. The quantity for this system is 902-431-7848.

‘It’s disheartening’

MacInnes is aware of she’s not alone. She stated she is aware of a pair making $90,000 between the 2 of them, who’re about to reside of their automobile resulting from an absence of housing choices.

“It’s disheartening,” she stated. “I hate to see it. It’s scary how many people there are like me out there.”

Moving out of Nova Scotia isn’t an possibility for her, each resulting from the price of transferring, and the potential value of turning into regulated to work in one other province.

Though she doesn’t plan to maneuver away simply but, MacInnes stated she will be able to’t assist however really feel “pushed out” from the province the place she grew up, raised a household, and labored for many years.

“I love Nova Scotia. I’ve always been proud of where I’m from,” she stated.

“I’ve lived my whole life here, I’ve worked my whole life here, and I’m being pushed out of this province because we’re not able to take care of each other here.”