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Victoria housing crisis threatens family unity

Sooke PocketNews Posted on by

This family is in crisis due to the lack of affordable housing in Victoria.

This is a one-income family of three, where Tyler Lumley works full time as a carpenter. Tammy Stephens spends her time trying to find housing. In the above video, she notes if she is not there full time with her child, the child will be removed. This family’s next option once the campground closes is to live on the streets, a dreaded anxiety-inducing option.

Sooke, too, is in a housing crisis, and there are many untold challenges here in our own little corner of the world.

What changes can be implemented in Sooke to help with housing affordability?

Read the original CHEK News article and video here.

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Victoria housing crisis threatens family unity — 42 Comments

    • We have the same issue on Pender. People actually suggested that people are rude and uncaring to charge rent high enough to cover the mortgage. The lack of financial understanding is unbelievable.

    • Kim Poirier I agree that government needs to do something about the housing prices and affordable rentals but personal owners are not responsible for that. Nor are they wrong to supplement their livelihood with income rentals. It makes them smart. You don’t have to rent from someone if you do not like the price. That is not that landlords responsibility. STRs are a problem but again that is a governments responsibility not the individual owner. Calling people greedy doesn’t make anyone want to be supportive. FYI I am a renter. It costs lots to live on the coast, high rent is my choose for being here.

  3. Make all the vacation rentals into actual affordable rental units, looking for a place to rent right now is near impossible but you can stay at 100’s vacation rentals for like $1000 a week. Every family that rents is either in a crap shack with a slum lord because its the only affordable housing or paying $3000 a month.

    • Are you fucking kidding me? That is the most ignorant comment I have heard all day Corrie Cullen
      one has nothimg to do with the crisis they are facing right now.

    • I know her and she’s a great mom also has had those for a long time so shut your mouth . That’s a comment from a person who needs to spend a few nights in a cold tent I think….I’ve waited on BC housing list for 10 YEARS and still have not got in..lived with 2 kids in a homeless shelter ( my daughter also has Autism … disability and homeless Ness STILL doesn’t help. ) it’s the same bs every time
      “Sorry we will tell you if something comes up” people act like its an option
      .it isn’t . I hope you are doing OK Tammy!! We pray the best for you!!!

  7. There have been times when I wanted to live in a city, but my single parent income couldn’t support my wish. Instead, I slept on a couch in the living room while my daughter slept in the one bedroom of our apartment in a less expensive outlying area of the city. That was 35 years ago, and we were safe, dry, warm and happy. You just have to live where you can afford to, and take public transit.

  8. He is working full time, is he supposed to give up that job, pay the expenses of moving to a smaller place to be unemployed? Do the math on the average person making say 20/hr and paying 1500/mo in rent! It doesn’t work. Rental vacancy and prices are ridiculous! Simple!

  9. Our housing market is ridiculously expensive. It’s just not affordable. This isn’t the family’s fault, this is 100% the fault of the gross capitalistic society we live under

  11. How much federal land does the DND own from F jetty behind the Burger King all the way to Royal roads? Thousands & thousands of acres. Already owned by us the taxpayers. Why can’t we snip off say 10% along the corridor & turn it into affordable housing for the working poor? This land runs along all the major arterial roads & sewer systems & bus routes. The cost of land in Victoria is astronomical, yet as taxpayers we already own these lands. Only need to invest the cost of construction. There is a opportunity right there before our eyes that remains untouched.

  12. Rent is so high we cant afford bills or much of anything else. The government needs to step in and deal with landlords and their ridiculous and non-realistic prices.
    IMO, A one bedroom shouldnt cost more than 700. A 2br shouldnt cost more than 1000. A 3br shouldnt cost more than 1400.
    No one gets paid enough to reach the ungodly rental prices these days.

    • Unfortunately the landlords have to charge high rent to pay their taxes and bills on the property, which are jacked up by the insane price of houses. The government needs to crack down hard on speculation and ban foreign ownership.

    • Why don’t the landlords live in their own houses then? Likely because they bought more than one as an “investment” aka making a profit off others in less favourable circumstances and getting rich on paper (asset value). And when the rich enough to have more than one downpayment people keep buying up houses so they can profit off rents, they end up driving up the cost of housing. Is that what speculation is? Because I really do not feel sorry for people who can buy more than one house with their crocodile tears about taxes. Our society is screwed as far values go when the basic human need for shelter becomes a “property investment” and this is the result.

    • I own a house in Sooke, try to sell before we move back to Quebec it did not work as plan, so we choose to rent, I don’t make any money out of it, barely cover the mortgage. The market is crazy !

    • Sandra Jolicoeur totally. We kept a house and rented it in Sooke for a couple of years. We charged a total of 2800/month and the profit was $48/month. Seriously.

    • We own a two bedroom condo in Cowichan Bay and have not raised the rent since we started renting it 8 years ago. We have a lovely little old retired teacher living in it, she pays her rent every month like clockwork. Our costs have gone up over $200 since renting to her but we still have not raised the rent because we want her to stay and we are not sure she can afford more. We take the loss.

  13. I let a young 29 year old fellow who unfortunately is not just homeless but has a drug kind of problem. Here in SOOKE. (I let him stay over for awhile, but one can only serve as one can). Could not SOOKE COUNCIL purchase ONE HOUSE with 5 rooms and serve the homeless. This fellow was born and raised in Sooke, so even when I suggested STREET LINK (Victoria) he does not want to go there. Just one house for those that need a roof over their head, time to think, and maybe, apply for welfare/disability and then detox?

  14. There are families here in Sooke in the Same position, and it’s not just the prices it’s a ruthless fight fight when something does come available and have kids , good luck people would rather pets than kids and there is always someone willing to pay more just to get a place… housing in the future isn’t helping with the problems now, it’s a nighmare w out there and this is just scratching the surface….

  17. People do need to research the island history before moving here. It avoids problems like this. No pity as there are other communities on Vancouver Island in which to live. Better still try the mainland.

  18. I was raised in Victoria. All 3 of my siblings moved to Alberta or Northern BC for work. Lots of people I went to school with did the same. I worked in the North Coast also. To me it is natural for people to go where the housing and jobs are. Making more rules for landlords is only going to decrease housing stock, not increase it. Just my too bits. Reality might suck for some people.

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