Struggling to make ends meet, London couple chooses optimism amid homelessness
CBC
When Ann Wootton moved to London this summer from Ottawa, she and her husband hoped for a fresh start for their family, maybe a small apartment, and jobs so they could chip away at their debt.
Instead, the couple and their two daughters are living in a small hotel room in the city's south end, scraping by on Wootton's salary as a school bus driver and child tax benefit.
"I think when people see homeless people, they think it's because of something they're not doing. But we're not financially irresponsible. We're not addicts. I don't drink. I don't smoke. I go to church on Sunday," Wootton told CBC News.
"I work every shift they give me. My husband has put in 60, 70 applications but he can't find a job. It's hard."
The couple have applied for a two-bedroom apartment, but the time is ticking: Wootton, an American citizen, has a work permit that expires this week. She doesn't have the money to put in an application for Canadian permanent residency, which she wants to get before becoming a citizen.
"I want to be a dual citizen and support my family, and do everything right," she said. "Right now, we're just surviving."
The family uses food banks to help fill in gaps, but Wootton has diabetes, which means she has specific dietary needs. She said she currently can't afford her medicine.
About a quarter of children in London live in poverty, according to Statistics Canada. More than 2,200 homeless Londoners have used the city's shelter systems or resources in October, and more than 1,000 people are chronically homeless, according to city data. However, those statistics don't capture families such as the Woottons.
Wootton said she would love a place she could decorate and a kitchen where she could cook up a storm, especially with Christmas approaching. "Cooking here is very difficult because you can only have certain things," she said. "I just want a kitchen sink. I just want a kitchen."
The couple and their children, aged 19 and eight, lived in an apartment with Jon Wootton's family in Ottawa before coming to London in July, hoping he could find a job as a lube and tire technician.
"It's something I've chosen to do because of how bad the economy is," Jon Wootton said. "If I can fix my own car, I'm better off because I save money in the long run. But what I want to do for a career is get into aviation, but that is ridiculously expensive."
Family and faith keep the couple moving forward, he said. In a year, the couple hopes to have their own apartment and a Christmas tree. "I want people to know that they shouldn't judge people. Get to know people before you make judgements."
"We're working really hard to get out of debt," Ann Wootton said. "We don't have a whole lot, but when you don't have anything to start with, you can't put anything toward it."
Seeing the happy faces of kids who ride her school bus keeps her going, she said.
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