Rachel Chiasson, 36, recently settled into an apartment in Edmonton’s Cromdale neighbourhood, ending a nearly two-year endeavour that included a period of precarious living situations.
She was renovicted from her Calgary apartment in May 2023. The management company gave her eight months’ notice, Chiasson said, but she had to uproot her life because she couldn’t find anywhere else nearby to live.
Chiasson, a licensed practical nurse, tried moving to Edmonton, but again struggled to find housing, she said.
She, her German shepherd and two cats lived in her car for two weeks, then a motel for one month, before finding a place in Redwater, Alta. She commuted about 60 kilometres to and from Edmonton for work, until she finally found her new apartment in the city.
“[Inflation has] affected me immensely,” said Chiasson, who’s originally from Halifax. “I was homeless — and I know lots of other people are facing …