Sarah had a reliable job in the computer sector and had always been a hard worker. For many years, Sarah was able to live well in a modest apartment, but the area’s rising cost of living and rapidly increasing housing prices were about to fundamentally alter her situation.
Sarah had a deep attachment to the place. She had established her job and made friends for life here. She was proud of her employment and was able to afford a cozy one-bedroom apartment where she could live happily. Life was excellent up until the real estate market underwent a significant change.
During and after Covid, real estate prices started to rise at an unheard-of rate, and Sarah’s apartment building was no exception. Every few months, her rent went up a little bit more until she could no longer afford it. Sarah tried her hardest to budget and make sacrifices, but the escalating cost of housing was simply too much for her income.
Sarah began reducing other expenses as her rent increased further. She cut back on her eating habits, stopped watching cable and internet, and commuted without a car. Even with these concessions, however, the expense of her apartment was eating up an excessive amount of her salary.
Sarah had no other option but to get an eviction notice. She was forced to vacate the flat she had lived in for so long.
In her apartment, Sarah spent her final days preparing to move. She was left alone with her possessions, a feeling of hopelessness, and no place to call her own.
Sarah was experiencing homelessness for the first time in her life. She now belonged to a growing group of individuals who had been priced out of secure housing as a result of the constant rise in rent and property values. The city’s social housing office was contacted right away, but they advised her that she might have to wait up to three years for an apartment. She was housed in various shelters during this time. Sometimes, she also slept in the office under her desk, always hoping her coworkers would not notice.
Sarah persisted in working throughout the day to reclaim her financial security because she was determined not to let her circumstances define her. She eventually managed to find a cheaper apartment outside of the city with the help of neighborhood groups that advocate affordable housing. Although it was smaller and further from her place of employment, it was still a place to call home.
Sarah’s tale illustrates the difficulties faced by those who lose their homes because of the high cost of living in some locations. It emphasizes the critical need for laws and programs that address affordable housing as well as the value of social support networks in assisting people like Sarah in rebuilding their lives.
