46-year-old back to living with roommates as BC's cost of living skyrockets
A woman in Squamish never expected she’d be back to living with roommates in her forties, but she had no choice when post-pandemic rental prices flew past what she could afford.
It’s an aspect of the Lower Mainland’s housing crisis and Canada’s general affordability crunch that she doesn’t think is talked about enough. She wants others making tough housing choices to know they’re not alone.
“I haven’t had roommates in, you know, 15 years,” Stacy Thomas told Daily Hive Urbanized. “And getting used to living with strangers again has been a huge adjustment.”
Thomas lived in Vancouver for nearly two decades before relocating to Squamish in 2019 to move in with her partner. But when the relationship ended, rental prices had risen so high she couldn’t afford her own apartment.
“I would love to have my own place again. I’m 46,” she said. “But it’s just not affordable. I just can’t do it. It wouldn’t make sense.”
She now stays in a three-bedroom apartment where one of the roommates is her friend. She also recently returned to school and is working a job she loves. She’s making a better salary than she has before. But she can’t fathom how she could afford her own apartment years ago working barista jobs yet now can’t do the same as a professional.
“I’m making choices with my groceries that I haven’t had to make since I was in my twenties. Like, I’m not going to buy cheese for a while,” she said. “It’s frustrating. It makes me feel stuck and wishing that there were more options.”
She could find love and move in with a partner again someday. But, until then, she’s hoping local governments figure out how to add more affordable units to the market to encourage rental prices to come down.
Stacy Thomas in Squamish with her dog. (Submitted)
The average price of a one-bedroom rental in Vancouver has hovered around $2,700 for several months. Prices have settled down from a high last year, when they rented for more than $3,000 on average.
Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation data suggests the median household income in Vancouver is $90,000. A one-bedroom rental would take up nearly half of the median household’s take-home pay. For singles, the crunch is even more real since they can’t pool resources with a partner.
High housing prices in BC’s biggest cities are sticking people with roommates and family for longer than they’d like. Whether it’s buying a home, renting an apartment without roommates, or simply moving out from the family home, all rungs on housing ladder in BC are becoming more difficult to climb.
Thomas has considered moving away from BC’s South Coast for more affordable housing. But that would mean leaving behind her family, friends, and entire support system in Vancouver and Squamish.
“Then I’m starting over on my own again. And I’m not willing to do that.”