Guelph, Ont. woman says she was pushed to homelessness and 'thrown on the street'
For people living on the fringe of society, the line between the safety and security of a home and homelessness, is very thin.
For a second time in her life, Lindsay Alexander, 34, has found herself on the wrong side of that line after getting evicted from community housing earlier this month.
“I just felt like I wasn’t a human being anymore, I didn’t understand, like why are you doing this? Is this really happening?” said Alexander.
Alexander first became homeless in 2018 after she says her life and career were derailed by criminal charges.
“Survival mode is what happens when you become homeless, you are literally just surviving … I wouldn’t wish homelessness on anyone” she says.
While also dealing with an addiction, Alexander has lived at a Matrix housing property in Guelph for the last five years
Matrix is a not-for-profit housing organization that finds housing for the most vulnerable in Wellington County.
Alexander describes her time at Matrix as complicated, but says she appreciates what they have done.
“The Matrix building gave me an opportunity, they took me off the streets, they gave me responsibility, they gave me structure,” she said.
That changed this fall when Alexander was evicted. She says she was forced to leave after she changed the locks on her apartment due a safety concern.
Matrix says they cannot comment on specific cases but says they only evict a tenant in rare circumstances.
“Because of the vulnerability of our tenants, eviction is absolutely a last resort. Our goal, along with other providers throughout the province, is to keep people safely housed,” said Art Kollee, president of the Board of Directors of Matrix Housing.
He says they only evict if a tenant is threatening or extremely disruptive, criminal activity is involved or if they are in arrears and refuse to make payments.
According to Alexander, she felt abandoned by the organization after the eviction.
“I literally was thrown out on the streets, there's no solution, there's no resolution, there is no ‘here is a piece of paper for you to call people that can help you get housed.’ They just threw me out and put me on the streets again,” said Alexander.
With no lifeline from any outreach organizations, Alexander reconnected by chance with a friend who she knew when she was homeless.
“You just really need a safe place and I was really worried about her, and I said ‘Hey I’ve got this 10x10 shed,” said Amelia Buchanan who took in Alexander and has let her live in what she calls her “She-Shed”.
Buchanan now owns a home, but previously spent two years living on the streets when she first met Alexander.
“People who have a home, they don't understand what it's like. It's crazy, it's a new emergency every day, every single morning when you wake up, it's like emergency, emergency, emergency,” said Buchanan.
Alexander says while she is getting her life back in order, she is hoping to help others in her situation, saying people with mental health and addiction issues are more responsive to people with lived experiences.
“If you make them feel like people, they will give back, and they have so much potential that is being lost due to the stigma,” said Alexander.
For now, Buchanan says Alexander is free to live in her tiny home-like shed while she works on a plan to help others.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
New changes come into effect to handle Canadian banking complaints
New changes are coming into effect that aim to protect bank customers in the event of a scam or address other bank-related issues.
Children's doctors reporting unusual increase in walking pneumonia cases in Canada
Children's hospitals across the country are seeing an unusual increase in the number of serious and more complicated cases of walking pneumonia affecting much younger patients, according to medical experts.
B.C. landlord who evicted longtime tenant, hiked rent and re-listed unit ordered to pay $16K
A landlord from B.C.’s Lower Mainland who evicted a longtime tenant only to rent out the same unit months later for more money has been ordered to compensate him $16,480.
'One of the most talked about words of 2024': This is Collins Dictionary's word of the year
Collins Dictionary has declared 'brat' -- the album title that became a summer-living ideal -- its 2024 word of the year.
Auto theft probe leads to arrest of 59 suspects, recovery of more than 300 stolen vehicles: Toronto police
Toronto police say 59 suspects are facing a total of 300 charges in connection with an auto theft and re-vinning probe that led to the recovery of more than 360 stolen vehicles.
Canada and the U.S. share the world's longest border. Here's how the election could affect it
Spend just a few minutes at the border between Canada and the U.S. – the world's longest – and you'll see why trade is a vital lifeline.
Thieves steal 2 Warhol prints, damage others in Dutch gallery heist
Thieves blew open the door of an art gallery in the southern Netherlands and stole two works from a famous series of screen prints by American pop artist Andy Warhol and left two more badly damaged in the street as they fled the scene of the botched heist, the gallery owner said Friday.
Teachers in Newfoundland and Labrador say violence is on the rise, averaging 22 incidents per school day
School staff are being struck more often, students are fighting more frequently, and police are increasingly being called to school grounds, according to data compiled and released this week by the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers' Association.
Bird flu spreading faster than 2023 in the EU, data shows
Bird flu has been spreading faster in the European Union this season than a milder 2023, raising concerns of a repeat of previous crises that led to the deaths of tens of millions of poultry and renewing fears that it could expand to humans.