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Continued from page 10 The journey is long "I've built up a really good support system around here. I feel safe and comfortable here. I have work here. It's definitely starting to feel more like home." Zilay, Burlington Zilay left an abusive home when she was 15-years old. She spent much of her youth jumping from shelter to shelter or riding the subway. Later in life, she found herself alone with her young son who is diagnosed with from type 1 Diabetes. She describes her experience living in an Oakville subsidized housing complex as a nightmare. "It was like walking into hell," the 50-year-old recalls. "A lot of the residents were drug addicts, they were into prostitution, they were violent. When you put a lot of these people together, it compounds the problem." She said her and her then eight-year-old son, Cameron, were subjected to vicious bullying for years and when she felt their lives were threatened, she decided to find a rental on her own. Social assistance of $600 a month did little to cover her rent, which by February of this year had hit $1,200 monthly. "We couldn't afford to stay there. I was taking the funding for Cameron's tuition and using it to pay for rent and food. I knew if we were homeless he wouldn't be able to continue his year (of university). Because of Cameron's health issues, she was told Oakville's Lighthouse shelter couldn't accommodate him. Since she wasn't escaping an abusive relationship, she couldn't turn to Halton's women's shelter. Zilay was on the brink of homelessness when she filled out an application for a subsidized Burlington rental unit offered by the Halton Multicultural Council. "They saved my life," she said, now from the comforts of her new home, where she pays slightly more than $200 a month in rent. But Zilay knows this peri- 11 · Thursday, June 14, 2012 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com Universal Driving Education Inc. "Let us put you in the drivers Seat" been here a few months and it's probably the best thing that's happened to me in the last little while." In the meantime, she found work at a coffee shop and quickly became a supervisor. Over 25 Years in business serving Burlington & Hamilton now opening Oakville location Zilay od of peace could be shortlived. "After a year, I will be gone from here. I'm already panicking about what I am going to do," she said, adding she suffers from depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. "My doctor has told me, `Your brain is not shutting down, you have to learn how to relax, you have to learn how to sleep.' But how do you shut your brain down when you don't know where your next meal is coming from, when you don't know if you're going to make rent this month, when you don't know if your child is going to get the medication he needs to stay alive or if I'm going to be able to pay his tuition. I'll never be at peace until I have my basic needs met, and the government doesn't do that." Zilay has put her name on Halton's community housing waitlist. She's been told the wait is five to six years. She'd like to see subsidized housing integrated into existing neighbourhoods by allowing residents to rent out a portion of their homes. "That way you avoid the stigma, and that allows you to feel better about yourself. When you feel better about yourself, you're more likely to work hard to achieving financial stability," which she said is her hope for Cameron. "I don't think it's right in a place like Canada that people can't have basic needs. That we can't move forward. The system does not work. It doesn't help people get out Grand Opening Special $530 HST Included Up coming course 9:30am-3pm Corinne But even with working about 35 hours a week, she said renting a place on her own isn't an option. "There are a few places in Halton that are subsidized town homes and the wait list for those places, I've heard, is years. It just seems there's not a whole lot of options in the Halton area." She continued, "Living in Milton, all I see is huge condos or big houses being built. For those who don't have the help of a subsidy like I have, I don't know how anyone in my situation would be able to afford to live here." She said with time, the funding she receives for housing through the ASH program will begin to decline and Corrine will be expected to pay more and more of her rent. "I don't have a lot of longterm plans. Especially with what I'm making now, I can't see myself being able to fully take over the amount of rent I'm paying here and still have money for groceries and gas. I don't have cable, I don't have the Internet because I can't afford it." While she wishes there were more quality rental options in her price range, Corrine says she plans to stay in Halton. June. 27, 28, 29, 30 July. 09, 10, 11, 12 July. 23, 24, 25, 26 July. 30, 31, Aug. 01, 02 Aug. 13, 14, 15, 16 Aug. 27, 28, 29, 30 123 Maurice Dr Unit 201 Oakville, On. L6K 1J6 (905) 844-3899 www.udsonline.ca Oakville MPP KEVIN FLYNN's 10th Annual nnual Commu Community BBQ Thursday, sday, June 21st, 5 5­7pm ­7p 2330 Lakeshore Rd W, Unit 2 Oakville HAMBURGERS! Surprises! CAKE! Prizes! FACE PAINTING! Please RSVP to kflynn.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org or call 905-827-5141