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- Friday, July 28, 2023 edition - ‘How I ended up squatting in a basement’
Friday, July 28, 2023 edition - ‘How I ended up squatting in a basement’
Friday, July 28, 2023 | 🌤 High 27C
Good morning!
All jobs come with their challenges. As a journalist your goal is to ask questions and report the facts. It’s often easier to do when it's a positive news story, but unfortunately that’s not always the case.
Today, you’ll hear from Leona and her struggle to find housing. I won’t say much more so you can hear her story in her own words. But I just wanted to take the time to thank people like Leona who choose to trust us to share their stories.
This newsletter (and that story) wouldn’t be possible without the support of our insider members like Gary and Amika! Join them and become a member here.
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WORTH KNOWING
🌤 Local forecast: Langley | Chilliwack | Abbotsford | Hope
⚠️ Here’s the current smoke forecast / Check the BC Wildfire Dashboard here
🚘 Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google, and find DriveBC’s latest updates.
NEWS
‘How I ended up squatting in a basement’
After years of struggling to find housing on a disability income, a 50-year-old grandmother is squatting in a vacant home.
Leona’s life changed after qualifying for disability benefits.
“When I went on disability I lost everything,” she told The Current. “You can’t have an income when you’re on disability, you can’t have savings when you’re on disability, you can’t have anything.”
Leona (who asked we only use her first name) described a system that has been unable to help her keep or obtain housing.
“They check into absolutely everything you have. You have to have depleted all your resources before you can apply. Once you’re on disability, you’re screwed. You think it’s a social safety net. It's not. It’s a trap.”
Soon, Leona was forced to leave her life in Vancouver to move into a more affordable temporary rental in Chilliwack. When that disappeared, she headed further east, to a transition house in Hope.
Leona says she has applied for subsidized housing from Hope to Vancouver. She found there aren’t any available options for people in her position who own a pet and have a disability. (FVC has previously reported on the long wait times for subsidized housing.)
Now, with nowhere left to go and having been shuttled between social agencies, she is squatting in a vacant home.
Related story
Need to know
🌧 The recent rainfall has done little to affect BC’s dire drought conditions [CBC]
🔥 The Hunter Hill wildfire north of Mission is under control at five-hectares in size, while the Davis Lake fire is being held at 215 hectares; but the Chehalis River fire remains out of control at 767 hectares [BC Wildfire]
🏠 A house in Aldergrove is available for $265,000—the buyer would just need a new place to put it [Aldergrove Star]
❤️ An Abbotsford hot dog vendor is trying to help a 22-year-old from Maple Ridge find a live kidney donor [Abbotsford News]
💰 The province wants to keep $80,000 in cash seized from a gangster allegedly involved in the Lower Mainland gang conflict [Vancouver Sun]
🙉 Chilliwack has restricted pickleball noise at Kinsman Park after a couple started and ended a hunger strike [Fraser Valley Today]
🏆 Where is BC’s best lake? CBC’s Justin McElory latest bracket will determine a winner [CBC]
🐟 Salmon fishing has been restricted at the Vedder Bridge [Fraser Valley Today]
⚽️ Canada is scheduled to face off in a critical match against Australia Monday at the FIFA Women’s World Cup [Daily Hive]
⚖️ A ‘budding serial killer’ was sentenced to life is prison for the murder of a 45-year-old man in an Abbotsford park in 2021 [CTV]
🚔 Two Chilliwack men are wanted by police for assault [Fraser Valley Today]
👩🚒 Firefighters were called to a ‘suspicious’ structure fire on 14th Avenue in Mission Thursday [Mission Record]
💥 An explosion outside of a Langley mall is not considered suspicious by RCMP [CTV]
👮🏻 A shortage of sheriffs forced the closure of some Abbotsford and Surrey courtrooms [Global]
🚒 Two RVs were destroyed in a fire on Island 22 [Fraser Valley Today]
🔨 A development proposal advertises 25 new detached homes with legal suites in Chilliwack [Fraser Valley Today]
⚕️ What’s important for your health and community? Complete the BC SPEAK Survey by July 31 for a chance to win prizes. Full contest rules, regulations at FraserHealth.ca.*
*Sponsored Listing
The Agenda
More speed humps are coming to Abbotsford streets. | Virunja/Shutterstock
Seven Abbotsford roads to get speed humps
Seven Abbotsford roads are slated for the addition of traffic-calming devices like speed humps.
Each year, city staff review requests from local residents and measure traffic to see what roads have too many drivers going too fast. Several of the sites selected this year are near schools or playgrounds. At Beck Road (which is at the end of George Ferguson Way and near a local playground) the speed limit is 30km/h but 15% of drivers were clocked going twice that fast.
Other locations slated for speed humps include: Auguston Parkway South, Riverside Street in Matsqui village, Harwood Crescent, Hawthorne Avenue, Wells-Gray Avenue, and Gillis Avenue.
Things to do
😂 Comedy: Local comedian Alex Svarez is hosting Open Mic Comedy at Abbotsford’s Highwayman Pub on Sunday. Details online.
🏳️🌈 Pride Festival: Celebrate pride at the 11th annual Fraser Valley Pride festival and walk on Saturday at Mission’s Fraser River Heritage Park. Details online.
🏃♀️ Track and field: The Canadian Track and Field Championships take place this weekend at Langley’s McLeod Athletic Park. Tickets online.
Members get access to our full weekly events list. Become a member.
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Catch up
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