Sam first came to Sage because he was having financial difficulties and facing eviction: Sam is a cancer survivor with heart problems, diabetes, and COPD, and a new prescription increased his out of pocket medication expenses to $150.00 a month. This caused him to fall behind on his rent, and while he had managed to pay the overdue amount, he was still being taken to court by his landlord on a different complaint. Sam was confident about his court hearing, and it did go well – the issue was addressed and a plan for moving forward was established. However, Sam still received an eviction notice for the next month, and the landlord would not comment or cooperate when consulted.
Sage staff began the process of securing alternate housing, working with Income Supports to provide a damage deposit and first month’s rent, and contacting both subsidized housing and market rental options. We were concerned that Sam’s health issues would place him at significant risk if he became homeless, and advocated for his application to be given priority. Over the next few weeks, Sam was denied housing three times because of a poor reference from his landlord.
Sam was officially homeless. Sage staff negotiated with the landlord to hold his belongings for a week and secured emergency accommodation through Income Supports, which meant that Sam was living in a motel with no money, a food voucher, and a handful of personal items. His biggest fear was that he would lose his oxygen machine, which he could not afford to replace. We found another apartment for Sam, but encountered timing and logistical issues: Income Supports was reluctant to release the deposit and rent assistance that they had agreed to provide, because Sam had already received emergency funds several times over the past year. We managed to have the funding released, and secured an extension from the previous landlord to hold his belongings for another week, and provide a positive reference based on Sam’s six year tenancy.
Sam’s health and emotional state were deteriorating. He was not able to follow his specialized diet, and did not have access to his oxygen, which impacted his energy - the stress of the situation was taking its toll, and he was losing hope. Sage staff referred him internally to Health Services at Sage so that his health could be monitored, and he began to spend his days here, largely because he had nowhere else to go.
When it was time for Sam to remove his belongings from his old apartment, he was still without permanent housing: he took what he could, and we made arrangements to store the rest. Unfortunately, his application was again declined due to a “soft” credit check.
In the end, it was a private posting on our bulletin board at Sage that offered Sam the solution he needed. After more than two months of advocacy, effort, and collaboration, Sam found housing that meets his needs: he is happy where he is, his health is improving, and he is much more hopeful about his future.
