An elder on the edge of homelessness
Jerry Schulz's search for affordable housing has brought his dreams for his next stage of life to a standstill
By KORALEE NICKARZ
Imagine you’ve lived in a basement suite for almost four decades, paying your monthly rent to the homeowner who lives upstairs. And then one day, you’re evicted.
You look and look for a new place nearby but you come up short. You can’t find a new home at the same rental rate because the cost of housing has risen to such an extent that you can’t afford to move within your own neighbourhood.
Renters in Vancouver have been faced with ever rising market rents for years. Currently, 25 per cent of British Columbians spend more than 50 per cent of their income on housing.
But if you are an elder on a fixed income, you may actually be living with the real possibility — and rising threat — of homelessness.
Photographer Jerry Schulz knows this all too well. He spoke with the Langara Voice Podcast on March 2nd, 2025.