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She’s able to rent a storage unit, but not a home.For now, MacInnes has been couch-surfing and staying with friends, but she recognizes that isn’t sustainable.If she can’t find a home, she worries about what this means for others – those on lower incomes, and who might not have friends to stay with.“There’s so many people out there that do make less money, and they deserve the same thing,” she said. “They deserve to have a home too, that they feel safe in.”MacInnes, who also attends university remotely, said she spends hours every day scouring Facebook Marketplace and Kijiji for apartments.
She estimates she inquires about approximately 30 per day.“This is a full-time job in itself,” she said.Just getting to the application stage is rare, said MacInnes, as units often get scooped up by someone else within minutes or hours of being posted online.“When you’re doing that daily, it just becomes very defeating.
You feel defeated. How am I going to find a place?” she said.“I’m trying my best, it’s not from a lack of trying. I’ve contacted everyone on Kijiji, everyone on Facebook Marketplace, and I’m staying on top of these things, but it’s taking up all my time.