乌鸦传媒淧overty isn乌鸦传媒檛 a lack of money, it乌鸦传媒檚 a condition that once you乌鸦传媒檙e in, it乌鸦传媒檚 almost impossible to get out of,乌鸦传媒� said Kerry Flynn, Thursday morning when I was interviewing him for my and their fruitless efforts to find new housing.
There乌鸦传媒檚 a general rule in writing that you shouldn乌鸦传媒檛 start stories with quotes, but that has been running through my head for the last few hours because of how much it resonates.
Flynn lives at the Walnut Grove motel and it乌鸦传媒檚 an oasis of affordability in an otherwise exclusive rental market.
While he appreciates his address and the stability he乌鸦传媒檚 found there, he乌鸦传媒檚 well aware of the scrutiny he faces for it.
乌鸦传媒淧eople look at us like we乌鸦传媒檙e drug addicts and wonder, 乌鸦传媒榟ow can you be so poor?乌鸦传媒櫸谘淮綕 he said.
乌鸦传媒淭here are a lot of things that happen to people that let you end up in poverty. There should be a place in society to allow poor people to live.乌鸦传媒�
Flynn used to have a business, a wife and a house he owned, but all those things drifted away.
First went the marriage, and with it half the home. Then came health issues.
乌鸦传媒淚 have Crohn乌鸦传媒檚 disease and had to have a surgery, then when I was recovering, I had another doctor tell me I had cancer,乌鸦传媒� he said.
Flynn took one hit after the other, and moved to Kelowna to be close to family for what he thought would be his final days. Even 10 years ago it was hard finding a rental, especially as a pet owner.
He went to a number of places, and at the end of the list was the Walnut Grove.
He met the owner and was welcome to move in with his cat.
It乌鸦传媒檚 while living there he learned from a new doctor he would be allotted more treatments in B.C. and he lived.
His new lease on life, however, came with its pitfalls.
乌鸦传媒淲hen my socioeconomic situation changed significantly people disappeared from my life,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淚 think if people look at it the way it happened and thought, 乌鸦传媒楪ee, that could happen to me乌鸦传媒� that乌鸦传媒檚 too terrifying to them. If they can blame you for being in your condition, and it乌鸦传媒檚 your fault somehow, then they feel safer.乌鸦传媒�
But, he pointed out a statistic often repeated at social agency meetings, most people are just a few pay cheques away from poverty.
乌鸦传媒淚 used to pay $50,000 a year in taxes, and now I have people who make $50,000 a year look down their nose at me,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淭hat bothers me.乌鸦传媒�
Flynn乌鸦传媒檚 candor is remarkable, but sadly his story isn乌鸦传媒檛.
Poor people in this province are screwed. It乌鸦传媒檚 not just a Kelowna problem.
This story can be heard in just about every well-populated city in B.C. and it乌鸦传媒檚 shameful.
There乌鸦传媒檚 loads of finger-pointing that can and has been done over the years.
B.C.乌鸦传媒檚 provincial government, for example, once said it didn乌鸦传媒檛 need an official plan to reduce poverty, focusing its efforts instead on job creation. It didn乌鸦传媒檛 matter whether those jobs weren乌鸦传媒檛 full time or if they didn乌鸦传媒檛 pay a livable wage.
In the run-up to the election, the NDP said, if elected, it would boost wages, adopt $10-a-day child care, and create a poverty reduction plan.
乌鸦传媒淲e are the only province that doesn乌鸦传媒檛 have (a plan) and it strikes me that any business, any not-for-profit, any family usually tries to put in place a plan if they want to get out of a jam乌鸦传媒攁nd we乌鸦传媒檙e in a jam right now,乌鸦传媒� said NDP leader John Horgan, was quoted saying.
Flynn and the residents of Walnut Grove are in a real jam.
Let乌鸦传媒檚 hope that new premier of this province remembers his pre-election schtick and turns his attention toward the issues at hand before more people are mired in a situation that they can乌鸦传媒檛 see an end to.
