Although residents at a mobile home park near Penticton were given eviction notices nearly five months ago, many of them are still struggling to find an affordable place to live.
Evicted tenant Diane Reddick is joining the ranks of the hidden homeless, with nowhere to call home, as she plans to crash on a friend’s couch until she can find a more permanent solution.
“I’m petrified,” she said. “It’s devastating. It’s really tough. It’s tough for everybody. Everyone’s built something, whatever suits them, and it’s goodbye to that.”
Tenants must move out by Monday.
Delta Mobile Home Park is on Penticton Indian Band land, which means provincial tenancy rules don’t apply. Politicians have said there’s nothing they can do.
“Every one of us has a different story,” evicted tenant Cynthia Carley said. “And either way, we’re all here because we’re struggling in some way.”
“When I got in this park, I thought it was a godsend. It was something I could afford, it was permanent, it was great,” she added.
Cynthia Carley isn’t sure what her future holds. She hopes to stay temporarily at a nearby RV park, but only if she can sell an old trailer first so she can make rent.
“At this point, I’m just working on the next 24-hour period or I’ll lose my mind,” she said.
Amidst low vacancy rates and high rents, many tenants, particularly seniors, have expressed frustration in looking for new homes. Evicted tenants are calling for more affordable housing, especially for those with pets.
“There are going to be a lot of people that are going to be on the streets or halfway houses and living in the bush with no water and no power,” Reddick said. “Some people are really resorting to those kinds of means.”
The property is slated for redevelopment.
Neither the owner, Fred Kruger, or the property management company responded to multiple requests for an interview.
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