91裸聊视频淧overty isn91裸聊视频檛 a lack of money, it91裸聊视频檚 a condition that once you91裸聊视频檙e in, it91裸聊视频檚 almost impossible to get out of,91裸聊视频 said Kerry Flynn, Thursday morning when I was interviewing him for my and their fruitless efforts to find new housing.
There91裸聊视频檚 a general rule in writing that you shouldn91裸聊视频檛 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 it91裸聊视频檚 an oasis of affordability in an otherwise exclusive rental market.
While he appreciates his address and the stability he91裸聊视频檚 found there, he91裸聊视频檚 well aware of the scrutiny he faces for it.
91裸聊视频淧eople look at us like we91裸聊视频檙e drug addicts and wonder, 91裸聊视频榟ow can you be so poor?91裸聊视频91裸聊视频 he said.
91裸聊视频淭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.91裸聊视频
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.
91裸聊视频淚 have Crohn91裸聊视频檚 disease and had to have a surgery, then when I was recovering, I had another doctor tell me I had cancer,91裸聊视频 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.
It91裸聊视频檚 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.
91裸聊视频淲hen my socioeconomic situation changed significantly people disappeared from my life,91裸聊视频 he said. 91裸聊视频淚 think if people look at it the way it happened and thought, 91裸聊视频楪ee, that could happen to me91裸聊视频 that91裸聊视频檚 too terrifying to them. If they can blame you for being in your condition, and it91裸聊视频檚 your fault somehow, then they feel safer.91裸聊视频
But, he pointed out a statistic often repeated at social agency meetings, most people are just a few pay cheques away from poverty.
91裸聊视频淚 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,91裸聊视频 he said. 91裸聊视频淭hat bothers me.91裸聊视频
Flynn91裸聊视频檚 candor is remarkable, but sadly his story isn91裸聊视频檛.
Poor people in this province are screwed. It91裸聊视频檚 not just a Kelowna problem.
This story can be heard in just about every well-populated city in B.C. and it91裸聊视频檚 shameful.
There91裸聊视频檚 loads of finger-pointing that can and has been done over the years.
B.C.91裸聊视频檚 provincial government, for example, once said it didn91裸聊视频檛 need an official plan to reduce poverty, focusing its efforts instead on job creation. It didn91裸聊视频檛 matter whether those jobs weren91裸聊视频檛 full time or if they didn91裸聊视频檛 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.
91裸聊视频淲e are the only province that doesn91裸聊视频檛 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 jam91裸聊视频攁nd we91裸聊视频檙e in a jam right now,91裸聊视频 said NDP leader John Horgan, was quoted saying.
Flynn and the residents of Walnut Grove are in a real jam.
Let91裸聊视频檚 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 can91裸聊视频檛 see an end to.