The woman at the centre of the storm over black mould at Castle Rock Family Housing says she is back in her home trying to fix the problem, but still won't let her children sleep there.
In an e-mail to The Chief, Karrie Thornitt, who is on disabilities benefits with the condition fibromyalgia, said she has done much of the disinfecting and bleaching of the affected areas herself since some friends who helped felt unwell themselves after working there.
"The children are sleeping at a neighbours' place as I will not let them come back in here until the place has been disinfected and the bleach fumes have been sufficiently aired out," she wrote, on Tuesday (Sept. 11).
Thornitt had moved herself and her two children to the August Jack Motor Inn after she a doctor she saw at Squamish General Hospital told her to leave as mould was making her ill.
The dispute was improving, she said, and added she would be making a 15-minute presentation on her dilemma to the board of the non-profit as early as Thursday evening (Sept. 13).
"It was a very good idea that it be sooner than later though there might not be enough time to prepare a 15-minute presentation. [But it] is good because my financial situation is pretty grim right now due to this and my energy levels are very low and my stress levels are fairly high," she said.
Thornitt added she was grateful to friends and neighbours who have pitched in, some of whom have dropped by after their jobs finish for the day to work on her house far into the evening.
Thornitt s other tenant had come forward at a meeting of Castle Rock tenants to say she was suffering from a similar problem with black mould in her townhouse. Beyond this dispute, one local professional who works with those struggling to find a home said that the situation in Squamish is critical.
Diane Adams, assistant manager for Sea to Sky Police Services, which helps victims of crime, said that, in general, adequate housing for those on the lowest financial tiers of the community and those who are most vulnerable is a problem throughout B.C. and noticeably in Squamish.
"I have an awful lot of clients who are having a very hard time finding a place that they can afford to rent in town. Victims of crime, who may have to leave their place of residence for various reasons, I find that they are having a very difficult time locating affordable housing."
Property prices and 2010 turned the focus away from affordable housing, though Adams said it was hard to pinpoint the problem.
"My clients are going through huge struggles and there are an awful lot of other people who I don't deal with because I only deal with those who are traumatized and not the general population," said Adams. "Therefore, a lot of people I'm not representing are also struggling."
