Sudbury senior to be homeless after apartment eviction

A Greater Sudbury senior says she will be homeless after being evicted from her apartment.

63-year-old Heidi Stewart, a former addictions counsellor, is being evicted from her Greater Sudbury, Ont., apartment after losing her job and being unable to pay rent. (Amanda Hicks/CTV News Northern Ontario)

Heidi Stewart, 63, lost her job and was not able to afford her rent for six months.

"I was let go, so I had to go on my employment insurance. Once that ran out, I was left with no funds to live on,” she said.

“I was trying to and I still am trying to find work."

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Stewart, a former addictions counsellor, told CTV News that she was unable to find a job in her profession because now, employers are looking for someone with a master's or a university degree.

The 63-year-old receives a widow’s pension and has gone on Ontario Works as her employment insurance has run out. Steward said she receives roughly $600 a month.

"I fell behind on my rent. My landlady finally took me to the housing tribunal. We went to court," she said.

"The judgment was that I am evicted and here we are. I have nowhere to go."

Stewart said she has no one she can stay with and the shelters she's contacted don't allow pets. She has a three-year-old cat who she loves and can't imagine giving up for adoption.

"He came from a battered home," she said.

"I can't do that to him. I love him. He's like part of my family."

Heidi Stewart, 63, is set to be evicted from her Greater Sudbury, Ont., apartment on July 2, 2024 and says she cannot stay in a local shelter because they do not allow pets and she will not abandon her cat. An undated photo of the cat is displayed. (Supplied/Heidi Stewart)

Stewart has applied for subsidized housing through the City of Greater Sudbury.

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Cindi Briscoe, the city’s manager of housing services told CTV News that currently waitlist for subsidized housing is approximately 1,170 households. She attributed the backlog to the pandemic and a lack of available vacancies.

Briscoe said families are chosen chronologically based on when they put in their application.

"To qualify for subsidized housing, we follow the provincially legislated mandate," she said. "Individuals must have their notice of assessment completed through Canada Revenue Agency. They would have to provide us with a form of, citizenship, whether it's Canadian, whether they are here on immigration status, if they are a landed immigrant. So, they would have to provide whatever status they are to us to confirm that they, they are qualified, their income, whether they're on social assistance or if they are working part-time."

Special cases

Some households qualify for Special Priority Placement, a provincial legislation that puts those in unique circumstances at the top of the list, which Stewart applied for.

"I was told it takes one to four months to get housing and at my age,” said Stewart.

“How am I going to survive on the street one to four months?"

Briscoe said five areas that qualify for priority placement.

"Victims of domestic violence and victims of human trafficking is the first. The next priority population is called urgent status, which is homelessness,” said said.

“Individuals who are living in shelter, who are living unsheltered individuals who are leaving the provincial system such as hospital or from incarceration, if someone's house has been damaged in a fire tornado or something like that, or if someone's home has been declared that you cannot live there any longer through building services."

Someone facing eviction and who is not currently homeless, Briscoe said, does not qualify.

"No, not until they're actually evicted," she said.

"When someone does receive an eviction notice, they are provided generally 30 to 60 days and it's our recommendation to come in or to go online because you can apply either way and get the application process rolling. As I indicated, the first date that we touch base with you is your original date of application."

Stewart, facing eviction on July 2, and told CTV News she is terrified.

"I've never been in this position in my life and I don't know what to do," she said.

"I really don't know what to do."

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Stewart said more affordable housing is needed in Sudbury.

“It's not just me. It's so many other people,” she said.

“The ones you don't see are people like me. There's lots of elderly people out on the street.”

• READ: Formerly homeless Sudbury senior 'saved'

In a telephone interview with CTV News, outreach workers from the Homelessness Network said they are seeing more seniors experiencing homelessness.