Some renters are in real need of help to face systemic barriers that make finding housing difficult
Ready to Rent B.C. was established when a group of housing and service-related agencies came together to find ways of helping families both find—and keep—their housing. The Victoria-based organization works closely with both service providers and housing providers to support people in finding solutions to their own housing needs.
Ready to Rent offers a 12-hour course and one-on-one supports to people who are in need of what could be called “housing literacy.” Courses are offered at various locations in the Capital Regional District. As well, agencies, bands, and organizations in the CRD or elsewhere on Vancouver Island are invited to run a course for their own members. To date, 101 courses have been held with over 702 graduates. Many of the course graduates now benefit from new knowledge and successful tenancies, Ready to Rent says.
Ready to Rent BC’s community development manager, Colleen Kasting, told The Tyee’s Jackie Wong that renters in need who are “slightly under the radar” are just who the group hopes to help:
“They may be working part-time, minimum wage. They can’t make it… they’re running their lives as well as they can. But a bit of help might be just enough to start a [ripple effect on] other parts of their life,” Kasting says. “When people realize they know something, and there’s value to it, they start to believe in themselves.” —The Tyee, Nov. 26, 2013
Jackie Wong’s analysis of the challenges faced by Victoria’s renters (who make up 60 per cent of all households in that city) has found that while renting is a long-term reality for many B.C. families, renters still face a host of systemic barriers that have the effect of treating many like second-class citizens. This can be particularly true for vulnerable renters. Wong suggests that organizations like Ready to Rent B.C. can meet the need for renters to learn about their rights and responsibilities.
We speak with Jackie Wong.
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Finding housing with Ready to Rent B.C. (Jan. 27, 2012)
