Maria prides herself on being patient-a virtue she owes to her deep, Catholic faith.
And it looks like the Richmond senior, who offered to share her story if her full name was not divulged, will have to rely on both - patience and faith - as she waits for an affordable housing option to see out her "golden years."
Maria, 76, and on a small, fixed income, is hoping to get a spot in Richmond that will keep her close to her church, friends and doctor. But that could be as long as a year from now.
Her case is a familiar one to officials with Richmond's Chimo Crisis Centre which helps locate affordable housing options for those in need, especially seniors like Maria who have fallen on hard times.
In her instance, after being recently separated from her husband of 46 years, Maria found herself alone, on a small, single fixed income, and lumbered with a sizable rent for a modest, central Richmond apartment that consumes virtually her entire monthly income.
After paying rent and utilities it leaves the still spry, former English teacher from Hong Kong with about $200 for living expenses.
"That's not so bad, I guess, because I am not a big eater," quips the rail-thin Maria. "I really just need money for snacks to keep me awake when I'm watching TV."
Nina Randhawa, program coordinator, outreach and advocacy, with Chimo Crisis Centre, said she has helped Maria apply to BC Housing for subsidized living - which would be set at just a third of her income.
But the anticipated lengthy wait may just deplete her meagre financial resources. And then, the spot would likely not be in Richmond.
The answer?
Rhandawa said more developments such as the Kiwanis Towers project that broke ground last month would certainly help. That project's 296 units spread out over two high rises more than doubles the number of subsidized homes previously on the site which will now be shared with three other towers featuring at market housing.
"If we could have another 50 or so units for subsidized seniors' housing, that would be great," Rhandawa said. "But that wouldn't solve the problem, because the population is aging."
With the expected rise in the number of seniors in Richmond, the city has embarked on its Affordable Housing Strategy to try and meet the demand.
It requires five per cent of a housing development of more than 88 units adhere to affordable living levels. Those projects under 88 units require developers to contribute money to the city's affordable housing fund.
"So far, within the affordable housing strategy we have secured commitments to create about 320 specific housing units for seniors, the bulk of which is in the Kiwanis (Towers) project," said city spokesman Ted Townsend, adding there is an another 80 units for seniors in the Remy project which are officially outside the affordable housing strategy because the funding comes primarily from BC Housing.
"We have secured more than 1,700 affordable housing units since the strategy was adopted in 2007, so a lot of those would also meet the need for seniors housing, although not specifically targeted to them."
Overall, living costs can be an expensive proposition, especially if you are a senior who has not prepared well financially. And that can put a strain on local resources, Townsend said.
"When you've got about 29,000 seniors (in Richmond) between the age of 55 and 64 and close to one in five of those require some kind of lower income housing, certainly the number of units doesn't add up to the number of people."
So, what do seniors like Maria do while they wait for an affordable home becomes available?
"I really don't know," said June Humphreys, a volunteer advocate for seniors housing at Chimo. "I know of one client who was able to afford market housing until her money in the bank ran out."
And then another informed Humphreys she was putting her belongings in storage and heading to Vancouver to live in a shelter until a unit became available.
"I thought that was so sad for a woman who was 60, had worked all her life, lived in Richmond and ended up having to go to a shelter in Vancouver and then hope she could get (subsidized) housing.
"Somehow, we have to find a way of keeping her in the community, and that sort of takes a miracle."
As for Maria, she considers herself one of the relatively fortunate ones who can afford to stay put in a pricey rental apartment for the time being.
"I'll just have to wait," she said. "I pray to God that he will help me through this."
