No Affordable Housing in Woolwich

When I moved to Elmira, I was a single mom with two preschoolers, receiving Family Benefits. I didn’t have a car, so we walked or took a taxi. To shop I either included the cost of a taxi in my budget or walked. It really is amazing how many bags you can hang off of a stroller. I applied for subsidized housing, but later withdrew when I found out that there is no family housing in Woolwich. What that decision meant day to day was having to decide what we needed to buy more, shoes or bread. A lot has been said over the last few years about how easy it is for people on welfare - they get money for staying home. In return, though, they get to make some not so easy decisions.

Things have changed over the last 10 years. We stayed in Elmira because we had friends here, the children liked their school and teachers, and I had a job. A support system is really important, whether it is family or friends. You can handle a lot more when you don’t feel alone. Last year, I bought a house in Kitchener. I would have preferred to stay in Woolwich but there was no housing here that I could afford to buy. I have a car now, so I’m able to get to work without having to rely on buses, which is a good thing because at the end of October the buses stopped running to Elmira.

Marg MacWhirter, former Elmira resident