'Constant survival mode': How Toronto's rental market can impact mental health across the city

It's no secret that renting in Toronto today is a stressful experience and some experts say that stress can impact every member of the family and even spread into relationships. 

Therapist Rebecca Andruchow knows that stress well, both from her own experience currently trying to find an apartment and because it's something she constantly hears about in her sessions with clients. 

On a recent night, she found herself scrolling through a list of potential apartments from her realtor while watching her eight-month-old play. Focused on choosing which properties she wanted to view and coordinating her schedule accordingly, she realized how rental stress was impacting her own life. 

"I had not been present with this tiny person who's growing up so fast…there was an intense amount of guilt," she said. "I'm doing this for her, but it's also robbing me of the time I have with her." 

CBC Toronto asked you to tell us about your rental experience this fall. We've heard from more than 600 people so far, many of whom said they're feeling stressed out. Andruchow says that's because housing precarity puts people in a place of "constant survival mode," which creates a heightened state of anxiety. 

She says housing is a basic physiological need, like water, food and clothing. 

"You can't achieve anything else while those are in precarity, right?"

Andruchow says renting in this city makes people feel like they've fallen behind in their own lives. 

"There's a lot of self blame and shame at either still renting or being in an insecure place," she said. "People [are] feeling a lot of hopelessness because they've done the right things, like they have advanced degrees or good jobs and it's not enough."

That shame coupled with the financial hardship brought on by renting can seep into people's personal lives, she says.

When people aren't doing well, they isolate themselves, she says. Plus, they may cut back on spending time with friends because it can involve spending money. 

The frustration of renting can also negatively impact the way people treat their partners, she says.

"I hear more [about] tension in romantic partnerships, in marriages, because of this," she said. "Because it's almost like there's nowhere for their anger to go." 

Douglas Kwan, the director of advocacy and legal services at the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario, agreed that being priced out of neighbourhoods can have a psychological effect. Especially, he said, when people have lived in these communities for much of their lives.