St. John’s Man Faces Dire Homelessness Situation, Facing Possible Separation from Son
A 27-year-old man from St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador is on the verge of homelessness and is now dealing with the heartbreaking possibility of being separated from his three-year-old son due to the lack of suitable housing options for families.
Tristen Keats resides in a cramped basement apartment with his mother and young son, Jacoby. However, the apartment is advertised for only one person, leaving them in a precarious situation. Keats and his son have been given a few months by his mother’s landlord to find alternative accommodation, adding to the mounting pressure they face.
Keats’ struggle is part of a much larger housing crisis sweeping across the country, which has particularly hit Newfoundland and Labrador. The demand for social housing and emergency shelters is skyrocketing, with many people resorting to setting up tents and living in public spaces around St. John’s.
The dire situation is even more distressing when children are involved. The Single Parent Association of Newfoundland and Labrador has noticed a significant increase in demand for their services, especially their food bank.
Abbey Quinlan, the Employment Services Lead at the association, expressed concern about the impact of the housing crisis on single parents. She noted that they face the challenge of providing the same level of resources and support to their children as two-parent households, further exacerbating their difficulties.
For Tristen Keats, the threat of homelessness not only jeopardizes his living situation but also undermines the progress he has made in his personal recovery. He openly admits to battling addiction issues in the past but has worked hard to turn his life around.
Keats became a father at just 17 and was ill-prepared for the responsibilities that came with it. At 18, he found himself homeless. However, when his son Jacoby was born three years ago, Keats saw an opportunity for positive change. He strived to stay sober and devoted himself to being a full-time caregiver for his son, remarking that his child has given his life purpose.
Keats has explored three housing options: the competitive private rental market, government-owned housing, and emergency shelters. Unfortunately, his income support status makes it challenging to secure private rentals, and many property management companies have rejected his applications.
The Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation, which offers government-owned rentals, has a waiting list of nearly 1,000 applicants. This means Keats could potentially wait for years while his deadline to find new housing looms closer. The third option, emergency shelters, poses its own challenges, as they often have limited availability and do not accommodate single parents with their children.
It is disheartening to realize that in some cases, parents like Keats have been forced to give up custody of their children to access emergency shelter beds, highlighting the grim choices faced by those experiencing homelessness.
Keats remains determined to ensure his son does not end up on the streets. While he acknowledges the possibility of living in a tent himself, he refuses to subject his young child to such conditions.
The housing crisis in St. John’s and across Newfoundland and Labrador requires urgent attention and effective solutions to support struggling individuals and families. It is a complex issue that demands a collaborative effort from government agencies, organizations, and communities to alleviate the suffering of vulnerable populations and prevent the separation of parents and children in such dire circumstances.
