A St. John’s man on the brink of homelessness is facing the possibility of losing his son due to a lack of housing options for people with kids.

Tristen Keats, who turns 27 this month, lives with his mother and his three-year-old son, Jacoby, in a small basement apartment that is advertised for only one person.

“Here we are now with people living on the side of the street in tents,” Keats said. “Me and him are just about there now, right? We got a couple months.”

They are running out of time, as his mother’s landlord has given them a few months to find a new place.

He and his son are among the many people caught in the housing crisis that is sweeping across the country and hitting Newfoundland and Labrador. Social housing and emergency shelters are in high demand, leading many people to take the only home they’ve known for months — a tent — and station themselves in public spaces around St. John’s.

And if facing homelessness is tough, when children are involved, the struggle can be worse.

  • spacecowboy
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    1 year ago

    Fuck that landlord. I hope they’re flooded out of their own home and nobody lends them a hand. You are a cancer on society.

    • Smk@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      The good solution is more co-op housing and low income housing. The housing market is fucked, a good portion of it is privatized. The landlord may be shitty but who would want to take the risk to lose their assets because they let someone that does not care about anything into their appartment? I did this mistake once, helping someone I didn’t know. Weird dude, low income but hey, everyone is different. I almost had to sell my property because the dude wrecked the place. He was beating his girlfriend, smoking weed inside, making noise, breaking all the rules, you name it. But man, the dude looked pretty normal, a bit weird but overall, normalish.

      It’s not fair for everyone because landlord cannot take too many risk. Someone that looks shady like this guy won’t have many chances in the private market. Ideally, housing market shouldn’t be a market. It should be something else because like me, I wouldn’t take a guy like this in my property and the reason is I don’t want to take risk of losing it all because I have a big hearth.

      • aubertlone@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I don’t like the way this comment is framed.

        You had an irresponsible tenant who wrecked your shit.

        How is that the same as a 27 year old man and his son getting kicked out of his mom’s basement apartment?

        • Smk@lemmy.ca
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          1 year ago

          It’s not the same thing but you don’t know the other person. You only see a dude with a lot of tattoo, no girlfriend, a child. He can’t find any appartment because of his looks and track record. His credit is probably shit. We don’t know the reason why he can’t stay there. Why wouldn’t the landlord allow it is strange. In any case, housing market that is too privately owned will cause this shit. Private owner cannot take asamy risks as a co-op or a gov founded place.

            • Smk@lemmy.ca
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              1 year ago

              What lol? I’m not complaining, I’m explaining why a landlord would t want someone like him. Can you read or comprehend what’s going on?

              • aubertlone@lemmy.world
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                1 year ago

                Fuck off you leech on society.

                Do NOT be asking other people if they can’t read after you’ve repeatedly demonstrated your poor grasp of the English language.

                Apparently someone having tattoos is a good enough reason not to rent to them?

                Please bitch. Understand you are a stain on society. Congrats on owning enough property to leech off of someone else’s hard earned money.

                Fuck all the way off.

                Go fly a kite. Do whatever the fuck you want I don’t give a shit.

                • Smk@lemmy.ca
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                  1 year ago

                  lol, good arguments my dude. Touch some grass and get back in reality.

                  That’s the sad reality we live in. You look like a criminal or a drug addict ? Then doors are gonna be closed on you. That’s exactly why I’m saying housing should be coop or gov owned.

                  Read my comments again and understand what I’m saying before commenting. It’s not what you think it is. Learn to fucking read moron.

                  • aubertlone@lemmy.world
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                    1 year ago

                    Yes, I need to learn to read not the dumbass landlord entirely out of touch with the world.

                    Get the fuck out of here with your sanctimonious bullshit.