Hidden homelessness in Windsor: Why a 66-year-old woman has to live out of her car

At 66-years-old, Windsorite Lynda Robinson never expected to spend her retirement living out of her car.

“How can you enjoy your life when everything is going against you?” Robinson asks.

After her landlord raised the rent of her apartment, Robinson was evicted for failing to keep up with payments. She says she would only have $100 leftover at the end of the month to spend on groceries after paying rent.

“We can't eat the way we used to. Fast food is the only thing we can afford,” she says.

Her attempts at finding affordable housing has been unsuccessful. Robinson says the few properties available in her price range are usually snatched up quickly by renters that may seem more desirable to landlords.

“I just want a comfortable and affordable place I can grow old in. I cried my eyes out enough. At this point, I need help,” Robinson says.

When Robinson inquired about social housing, she was quoted a wait time of five years. There are approximately 6,000 people currently on a waiting list with the city for affordable housing.

Before resorting to living out of her car, Robinson contacted local shelters to see if they had space.

“It's packed,” she tells CTV News Windsor. “We called the mission and they said we are at capacity.”

Robinson has learned there are many people facing similar struggles. She says there are often six to seven other cars with people living in them at the parking lots she frequents.

Staff at Street Help Homeless Centre witness the hidden homelessness problem firsthand.

“23 years ago, we had 12 to 25 constant homeless people out on the street. Now we’re serving over 400 people a day,” says Christine Wilson, Street Help director.

Wilson believes the city needs to focus on creating affording housing.

“Housing first, then we can bring in the mental health professionals to help that person,” she says.

Robinson’s daughter has started a GoFundMe page to raise money to help assist her mother.