Renters struggle to find homes as prices climb, availability declines
VANCOUVER — Joanna Fletcher lives in a one-bedroom apartment on Vancouver’s east side with her 10-year-old son. The building has mice and mould, and her new landlord is threatening eviction.
While she has plenty of reasons to leave, Fletcher says she’s fighting to stay for as long as possible because she can’t afford anything else in the area and leaving would mean disrupting her son’s school year.
“It’s not just like I can pick up and go, there isn’t anything for me to go (to),” she said in a recent interview.
Fletcher isn’t alone in feeling the impact of the housing affordability crisis affecting cities across the country.