Saskatoon woman fears homelessness as she navigates difficult housing market

A Saskatoon woman who has taken in people in need for her whole life has fallen on hard times.

Crystal Beauchamp, a mother of two and foster child herself, was evicted on short notice due to her landlord going bankrupt.

Her franchise has also gone out of business and she has to find a low-cost three bedroom home.

"Now they want to separate my family. They want me to put my son into outreach," she said.

Canada Mortgage and Housing (CMHC) released its yearly housing market report, revealing a vacancy rate of 2 per cent in Saskatoon and 1.6 per cent in Regina.

Low-income family units are among some of the most in-demand.

"Available units for low-income families remain scarce, with only 5 per cent of the CMA's rental universe affordable to families in the lowest income quartile," stated the CMHC in their report.

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The Saskatchewan Landlord Association is calling for an end to PST on rental constructions to ease costs.

The Saskatchewan government is taking a different route, recently passing legislation offering rebates for PST paid on new homes built.

With Beauchamp fearing homelessness, rebates are of little comfort as she and others in her position try to find a way to navigate an increasingly difficult housing market and economy.

"We need to petition. We need to strike. We need to speak up. We need to be louder than their voices,” she said.