Woman with developmental disabilities heartbroken to be denied unit in affordable housing project
CBC
Adults with developmental disabilities in the Vancouver Island town of Ladysmith are feeling disappointed — again — after a 36-unit affordable apartment building opened without most of them in it.
Supporters say only two of the seven people they represent were even interviewed as potential tenants of the building, which in its early stages promised to prioritize people with developmental disabilities.
Only one of the two people interviewed was accepted to the building.
Amy McMillan, 44, was interviewed but did not get an apartment.
"When I found out I got the interview, I was so excited," she said. "I got to see what it looked like to live in Heart on the Hill, but my heart was broken when I realized the truth."
Her mother, Sheila McMillan, who was at the interview, said Amy was essentially quizzed on how to use the apartment's blinds, air conditioner, and stove.
She said she was told two days later that Amy wasn't getting a unit because it wasn't safe for her to live alone.
Amy has been living independently for 16 years. She has two part-time jobs, and gets support from Community Living B.C. — a Crown corporation that helps adults with developmental disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
She pointed out in the interview that she wouldn't use the stove unless her care worker was with her.
Sheila was frustrated by the interview process, but said it's equally unfair that others didn't even get interviewed.
"I think that it was just exclusion, and I think that was totally unfair," she told CBC News.
The McMillans are part of the Ladysmith Supported Housing Committee, which had already filed a complaint with the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal over how the apartments were being allotted.
They say the Heart on the Hill building was originally intended to prioritize adults with developmental disabilities, seniors, and low-income families in an equitable manner.
Stan Skelton, who said the whole idea for the project started in his living room, was hoping his son Mark would be able to move into the building.
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