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It Terrifies Me: Smiths Falls Mom at Risk of Homelessness Due to Lack of Affordable, Accessible Housing

The town has a ‘very limited supply’ of accessible units
By Evelyn Harford
Smiths Falls Record News
Thursday, April 15, 2021

For Courtney Preece, the issue of finding affordable housing has been compounded by her struggle to find a unit that is also accessible. Now, she and her six-year-old son, Grayson, are at risk of being homeless if they can’t find another place to rent before the end of May.

The home they have rented for four years has been sold and the mother and son are forced to find somewhere else to live.

“For 27 years I’ve called Smiths Falls home and now I’m facing having no home here and it terrifies me,” said Preece. “It makes me feel as a mother so guilty that because of me being in a wheelchair and there not being any accessible, affordable housing in this town that my son is now facing having no home through no fault of his own.”

The search for another place to live has left Preece defeated. She relies on Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) for her income. She said the money she receives is not enough to cover rent in a market that is becoming more and more unaffordable ” especially for people on fixed incomes.

Preece has used a wheelchair for nine years. In 2012, she was diagnosed with a rare spinal disease that left her lower body paralyzed. She said finding accessible housing has been a constant challenge. In each place that she’s lived, not one has been fully accessible ” relying on homemade ramps and makeshift accessibility improvements all built out-of-pocket.

Preece said when she does come across a unit that is fully accessible, they always seem to cost more.

“It’s not fair,” she said.

Preece said more needs to be done to ensure that what is provided through ODSP is enough to find accessible housing, especially in an environment where prices are rising and income is not. Preece said more truly accessible and affordable rental units are desperately needed in Smiths Falls and elsewhere.

“This is an issue in so many places,” she said.

Preece said that while she was offered a place in Carleton Place through emergency housing, she couldn’t take it since she relies on her family who lives in Smiths Falls to help her with her son and to do day-to-day tasks. Without transportation, Preece said she simply can’t move away from her support network.

Preece points out that there is only one apartment building in town with an elevator ” not including the new ones being built. That apartment is for people aged 50-plus. Preece looked to getting an apartment there because it’s wheelchair accessible, but was turned down because of her age and child.

In contemplating what being forced on the street would mean, Preece said she wouldn’t even be able to navigate as accessibility challenges follow her outside the home too.

“If I did have to live on the streets with my child, the streets aren’t even accessible,” she said.

Smiths Falls Mayor Shawn Pankow reports that there is a “very limited supply” of accessible units in town.

“The challenge facing Miss Preece is a stark reminder how the housing crisis in town is worsening and has no regard for specialized needs of our citizens,” he said.

Pankow said while more accessible units will be coming to town with new construction, it doesn’t help Preece and her family right now.

“It’s very concerning and although we can’t just create a new home for her, I am hopeful that a solution can be found before the end of May that keeps her and her family comfortably housed,” he said.

Pankow said the town’s soon-to-be-formed housing advisory committee will focus on a variety of issues, including the need for affordable, accessible units.

“Although this may make a difference in the future, we know this issue needs to be addressed,” he said.

This newspaper has also reached out to Lanark County for comment but have not yet received a response.

STORY BEHIND THE STORY

The housing affordability crisis continues to grow in Smiths Falls. Reporter Evelyn Harford wanted to find out what happens when the lack of affordable housing intersects with a low supply of accessible units. This story highlights the plight of one family searching for both accessible and affordable housing, which brings to light a crisis within a crisis.

Evelyn Harford is the reporter for the Smiths Falls Record News.

Original at https://www.insideottawavalley.com/news-story/10373528–it-terrifies-me-smiths-falls-mom-at-risk-of-homelessness-due-to-lack-of-affordable-accessible-housing/