‘We are forgotten’: B.C. seniors are struggling to find housing

It's a familiar story everywhere now it seems, there was nowhere except a nursing home here, but there are several people here who should be in assisted living in their own apartments with someone coming in to cook, clean, and shop.

The trouble is there aren't any places that we can afford even with a roommate things would be tight, but people, and corporations have got so damn greedy that it just can't be done first, last, and deposit are just too much for many of us.

That, and there aren't any subsidized places without a waiting list as long as your arm. Something needs to be done.
 
It's not churches here. It's the government paying subsidies to hotel chains.. so we have hotel chains housing immigrants at great cost to the taxpayer....

I will accept it with good grace if someone can point me in the direction of all the hotel chains in eastern Europe, or Vietnam or Africa... who are housing Westerners...
 
TheOtherRick said:
It's a familiar story everywhere now it seems, there was nowhere except a nursing home here, but there are several people here who should be in assisted living in their own apartments with someone coming in to cook, clean, and shop.

The trouble is there aren't any places that we can afford even with a roommate things would be tight, but people, and corporations have got so damn greedy that it just can't be done first, last, and deposit are just too much for many of us.

That, and there aren't any subsidized places without a waiting list as long as your arm. Something needs to be done.
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You're dang right something needs to be done. The problem is nobody doing it.
 
I’m not sure that it has ever been any different.

Inflation takes a toll on every generation of retirees.

I’m not saying it’s right, I’m just saying it’s not new.

It’s sad that many of us have lost the helpful family connections that benefited previous generations of retirees.

The good news is that so far the majority of people seem to find a solution that works for them.
 
That's not just a problem in BC but in the U.S. as well. Often there are long waiting lists for public senior housing. Unfortunately some seniors are finding themselves among the homeless. It's a sad situation!

In the meantime plenty of luxury apartments are being built that even many working couples find it hard to afford.
 
George1959 said:
It's a shame that seniors don't find appartments. In my country the evil churches close some of their own senior homes to offer them for immigrants since they get much more money from the government for them.
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My county has plenty of people who were born here but can’t afford to live here. But the county had six million dollars to move about 90 immigrants from one hotel to another and then to another.
 
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OneEyedDiva said:
That's not just a problem in BC but in the U.S. as well. Often there are long waiting lists for public senior housing. Unfortunately some seniors are finding themselves among the homeless. It's a sad situation!

In the meantime plenty of luxury apartments are being built that even many working couples find it hard to afford.
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Then who rents the luxury apartments?
 
hollydolly said:
It's not churches here. It's the government paying subsidies to hotel chains.. so we have hotel chains housing immigrants at great cost to the taxpayer....

I will accept it with good grace if someone can point me in the direction of all the hotel chains in eastern Europe, or Vietnam or Africa... who are housing Westerners...
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Where would you house them, and what does it have to do with the wider housing crisis?

Rental properties are scarce everywhere. But not just scarce, extremely expensive. Incomes have not kept up with the cost of housing, so you end up with a crisis. Immigrants have nothing to do with it unless you're going for the overly simplistic "well, it's headcount", which is naive at best. Would you prefer these people to be sleeping in tents in our parks? How about shop doorways? They're here, and we have to do something.
 
Brookswood said:
My county has plenty of people who were born here but can’t afford to live here. But the county had six million dollars to move about 90 immigrants from one hotel to another and then to another.
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You're allowing yourself to be distracted from the main problem - the overall cost of housing. Rather than concentrating on that, immigrants get blamed. The answer won't be found there.
 
A new $55 million dollar project with 128 apartments for low to middle income people just opened here.

The apartments were awarded using a lottery system to select 128 people/families that qualified.

It was a public private partnership that got much publicity and generated much goodwill.

I guess that I’m a bit jaded and more than a bit skeptical that it should cost over $400,000.00/apartment.

It feels more like a reverse Robin Hood move to take from the tax paying public and give to the real estate developers.

If it makes life easier and more pleasant for the new tenants that’s a good thing. I can’t help but think that all 128 new tenants were getting along in some sort of living situation before they were chosen and now those 128 former homes are available.

Poverty has become a big business and I don’t see government involvement as a solution.

Governor Hochul Announces Completion of 128-Unit Affordable and Supportive Housing Development in Syracuse
 
Seniors get snubbed in a lot of places for reasons that include many naive landlords assume someone is retired they are rich. They're already over pricing for the young who don't look at price tags or budget. The conscientious ones are hard to find.

I know people who used to live in very affordable apartments near some colleges and hospitals who realized over a decade ago they were getting subsidized adult students going for masters, phds etc and from big corporations and other countries. Once they understood that they've raised the rents more over the last 10 years than in 75 years of existence.

I've tried several times to get into 55 plus/retirement communities, not homes basically trailer or mobile/manufactured home parks and the demand was/is so great I've haven't gotten replies till months later because of the demand/wait list.

The demand is exceeding supply which does include immigration and exodus's from big cities. Many don't want to live in a big city anymore and even though there is supply in cities because of conditions in neighborhoods, crime, taxes etc out weigh the benefits of a lower rent or house purchase.
 
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Capitalism OK. But you can make a nice profit without being greedy. And I'll use this apartment complex as an example again. Previous local owners did not raise the rent like crazy. Predator new owners raising max every year.

Yes, it's scary and I'm scared. And I'm really sick and tired of hearing all sides say they want to help "American families, lower costs, blah blah blah."
 
I almost daily read in the local media of the need for subsided housing and how the 'shelters' cannot keep up with the need but cannot seem to give away accommodation in return for a little help to remain in my rural idyllic hideaway. It seems those in need feel they need city services close by in order to survive, personally a few months living in the city would bring a rapid end to my 78 years hence my futile attempt to find a country loving companion.

This getting old with little company is equally as painful!
 
It's not only Canada, but here in the US also. Years ago, there was housing construction going on everywhere we went. In the past 10+ years, it is rare to see anything but apartment complexes being built in every town we pass through. This lack of new housing is a primary reason why housing is becoming so expensive. Demand is outstripping Supply....Big Time.
 
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officerripley said:
I don't know about in Canada, but here in the U.S. you do need services mostly found only in the larger cities to survive. One example: there's been a flood in recent years of small town hospitals closing down.
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That is becoming increasing true here also with many of the smaller places now only offering limited daytime services and even some of the more specialized services only being available in the larger hospitals sometimes a couple of hours away or more. Just dont get sick is my rule. it even worked most of the time except for when I had my stroke and just made in town in time!
 
Jules said:
Around here, there are plenty of rich folks. Many need summer places.

Builders say there’s no profit in building average apartments.

I amuse myself by looking at places for sale. Every highrise condo seems to have the finest of gyms with monthly fees to accompany them.
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Kind of hard to blame the immigrants" or poor folks for that situation. Sounds more like the wealthy property owners making money from the "wealthy" renters but some of us are more comfortable blaming the poor.
 

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