Anthony read my previous story about Amy and how she moved into a Burnaby house only to discover there was another tenant – a tenant who was dealing drugs – and says that’s nothing.
His story is far worse, he says, because it wasn’t just noise he had to deal with – he got bullied and robbed multiple times.
Anthony said he has had issues with finding good accommodation at an affordable price, so he ended up renting a room in a share house.
But it wasn’t long after he moved in that he discovered two of his housemates were drug dealers, with a third who often “crashed” at the house.
Suddenly, things starting disappearing.
“Open theft and breaking into my room, that is after the first week or so after sleeping on the floor in the living room and people just taking my stuff, including two old tenants who just waltzed right in and took a box of my stuff including a brand new pillow that I just bought,” he said.
“I was bullied out by the two drug dealers, claiming I never paid rent (the ministry paid direct to him as per our agreement when I moved in) and they changed the electronic lock on my door to another code somehow.”
Yes, they managed to lock him out of his own room. And then the person who managed the house suddenly died after an altercation with the two drug dealers, who just happened to be dealing drugs to the house manager.
Anthony managed to finally escape that situation, only to be in another house filled with people who steal or beat others. Anthony says that’s the cycle many renters are stuck in because housing is so expensive in Burnaby and beyond. This crisis puts people in terrible situations because they can't afford anything better.
And it’s taken a toll on his mental health. He finds himself getting angrier as life goes on.
This is the impact of our housing crisis.
“I have a fair idea how people should be treated what shouldn't be done and becoming fluent with the tenancy act is not a hard feat. And that if you have life situations that thrust you down with no supports, you’re stuck in a situation of hell, including where you live and it's virtually impossible to escape because you're in a s***ty rental situation you jump to the next situation which there's not a lot generally.”
One day political leaders are going to take the housing crisis seriously and take real action to deal with this problem. Meanwhile, too many people suffer.
Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.
