Canada

inanna

(3,547 posts) Sat Oct 7, 2017, 12:54 PM Oct 2017

The ladies who live in a van: homeless seniors struggle to make ends meet

Posted: Oct 07, 2017 8:00 AM PT

Wearing a soft red fleece jacket and tiny gold hoop earrings, Alexi Rainier doesn't look out of place walking through the Whole Foods in West Vancouver.

"Most of them, I don't think, have a clue [about my situation] … It would be deadly embarrassing."

The truth is Alexi Rainier is 79 and lives in a van, parked just outside in the parking lot.

Rainier, along with her 62-year-old companion Sarah Watson, have been living in the old model Ford minivan borrowed from friends since May. The two women have lived together for the past few years out of necessity.

...

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/the-ladies-who-live-in-a-van-homeless-seniors-struggle-to-make-ends-meet-1.4342928

6 replies

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The ladies who live in a van: homeless seniors struggle to make ends meet (Original Post) inanna Oct 2017 OP

this is who we are jodymarie aimee Oct 2017 #1

I think the area that leases to Whole Foods (Park Royal) is First Nations-owned pandr32 Oct 2017 #2

The Squamish Nation does own it. EllieBC Oct 2017 #3

The foreign buyers tax was supposed to help. EllieBC Oct 2017 #4

Whole Foods is the most expensive grocery left-of-center2012 Oct 2017 #5

It's all that's around Park Royal. EllieBC Oct 2017 #6

jodymarie aimee

(3,975 posts)

1. this is who we are

Reply to inanna (Original post)

Sat Oct 7, 2017, 01:06 PM

Oct 2017

invisible in plain sight...

pandr32

(12,236 posts)

2. I think the area that leases to Whole Foods (Park Royal) is First Nations-owned

Reply to inanna (Original post)

Sat Oct 7, 2017, 01:13 PM

Oct 2017

Hopefully, that will help. The Capilano reservation (Squamish Nation) might let this slide, otherwise those ladies will likely be in trouble. West Vancouver is high-end property and the residents there will probably not want homeless people around.
I grew up there so I know how much it has changed.

EllieBC

(3,381 posts)

3. The Squamish Nation does own it.

Reply to pandr32 (Reply #2)

Sat Oct 7, 2017, 02:08 PM

Oct 2017

However they're barely caring for their own. They have their own homeless problem in Squamish and most of the homes on the reserve land here are in horrible shape.

EllieBC

(3,381 posts)

4. The foreign buyers tax was supposed to help.

Reply to inanna (Original post)

Sat Oct 7, 2017, 02:10 PM

Oct 2017

To stop the upward spiral of home prices. The greens were correct though. It should be higher and provincial wide.

Short of a housing collapse (which neither the federal nor provincial government will allow to happen) housing costs will never be reasonable in the lower mainland.

left-of-center2012

(34,195 posts)

5. Whole Foods is the most expensive grocery

Reply to inanna (Original post)

Sat Oct 7, 2017, 04:39 PM

Oct 2017

EllieBC

(3,381 posts)

6. It's all that's around Park Royal.

Reply to left-of-center2012 (Reply #5)

Sat Oct 7, 2017, 05:49 PM

Oct 2017

The next nearest is the Park & Tillford Save-On but I think that's still 20 minutes away. Whole Foods is right there at the mall.

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