When 80-year-old veteran Gary* ran into trouble with his landlord, he didn’t know where to turn. He had been served with an eviction notice for non-payment of rent and owed his landlord over $1,000. A friend referred him to SSSBC.

We conducted a thorough assessment, and Gary came to understand he was spending his money on non-essential items like going out to pubs, restaurants, coffee shops and shopping. Eventually we also determined that a friend had been abusing him financially. We started working with him on better financial management.

Gary’s landlord obtained a court order to remove him from his apartment and hired a private company to deal with the eviction. The coordinator at the eviction company expressed compassion for Gary’s situation and worked with us to delay the eviction while we sought new housing.

As Gary is a veteran, we filed an application at a seniors non-profit housing unit in New Westminster and spoke to the building manager about taking Gary on as a tenant. The building manager agreed to meet Gary and after hearing his story, offered him housing on the spot.

SSSBC’s Housing Navigator and the eviction company together coordinated Gary’s move and we were able to provide a rent supplement to help him pay for his first month’s rent. Gary paid his own damage deposit and the moving company volunteered its time after hours to move Gary into his new apartment.

Today, Gary has settled down in his new housing, is managing his finances well, and is very happy.

* Name changed to protect client’s privacy.