Many times, a client comes in to the Access Centre angry or frightened because of a dispute with a landlord or perhaps they’ve received an eviction notice.
Our legal advocates will often try to negotiate a deal with the landlord if possible because, even if the tenant is in the right, the risk of losing their housing if a hearing doesn’t go in their favor is too high and then the client is left with no place to live. People can get frustrated by this because they don’t want to make a deal, they want to go to arbitration as a way to try to get justice for a perceived wrong against them. Unfortunately, this could result in being proven right but also in being homeless. Even with a financial settlement, they are still left looking for housing and as we all know, that’s in very short supply.
There is practically no housing available in Penticton right now so the best we can do is do everything possible to prevent people from losing their housing due to evictions because finding a new place is difficult and expensive.
**Speaking with a poverty law advocate is important to do right away if you get an eviction notice. Some eviction notices have a month or more of notice, some only have 10 days so don’t wait, call us at 250-493-6822 right away for more information.
