Janice's Story:

I walked into my office that day as if it was any other day, said hi to co-workers along the way, stopped to chat with a few and then sat down at my desk eager to dig into the pile of paperwork I needed to get through.  I was thinking as I sorted through the mound on my desk that life was pretty good. I had left my husband and had bought a new house for the kids and I just 6 months earlier. I was navigating quite successfully in my new single life and I was enjoying my freedom and space. My ex and I were getting along fairly well and I had a job that paid well and I enjoyed. Not Bad! My thoughts were quickly interrupted when my boss turned the corner and asked me to meet with him. I followed him into the conference room and in one foul swoop my good paying job that I enjoyed was gone. They were moving my position overseas. However, Lucky me, since I had been with the company for 7 years they had a great severance package for me. Still, I was devastated. I went home and sat on my couch and thought about what was going to be next. I no longer had the income I needed to support the new single life with my kids I had grown to love. 

Over the next few years I did everything I could to keep things together. I worked hard and was licensed as a mortgage agent and struggled to keep commission income coming in the door. It was 2010 and the mortgage market in our area was difficult at best. Agents who had been in the mortgage market for years were starving and I really didn’t stand a chance. I decided to go back to school. 

I wanted to be in career where I could get my paycheck again. I decided in these difficult social times the best thing for me to do was become a social worker. I continued to work on mortgages as I could but put my heart and soul into school. I graduated with honors and with a great new job thought I was back on track. 

I came home from work about 3 weeks after starting my new job as one of the housing co-ordinators for a local social service agency and opened my front door to black smoke billowing out at me. My house was on fire. I called the fire department and they came and put it out, however the house was destroyed. The fire had started in the basement. My fresh start was burned beyond recognition. I had lost almost everything. How could this happen I had just gotten things back on track? Chaos was the order for the next few weeks. To top it all off 3 weeks after the fire I went to work and was informed the region had cut funding for our housing program and because I was the last one hired, unfortunately I was first one laid off. There I was again, no job after all that hard work and living in a 2 bedroom hotel with 4 kids. 

Six months and a nightmare later the kids and I moved back into our home. It was beautiful, fully renovated and felt like another fresh start. I continued to apply for work and work whatever jobs I could to keep the bills paid. I made sure the insurance funds I received were used wisely so I could keep things afloat for as long as possible as I was still unemployed. I worked odd jobs like delivering pizza to make ends meet while I applied for anything that I could make work.  I even rented out my basement to cover the bills. Things were difficult but I was making it work. 

One year after moving back into my newly renovated home another house fire robbed us of everything.  I was in the emergency with my 13 year old who had, with my 10 year old son, been in a car accident 3 days earlier. I received a phone call from a friend and neighbour that the fire department was at my house. I told her it must be something going on nearby. Shortly after that call I received a call from the fire department saying they were at my property and my house was on fire. My exact response was “that’s not possible my house has already burned down”.  The apologetic fire chief told me he knew that he was there 2 years ago and asked me to come home as soon as possible. I left my son in the care of a nurse who was also a family member  Cont'd At Right...