LJ Folden isnāt accustomed to asking for help.
āI used to be 6ā4ā and 280 lbs ā a big strong independent guy, people asked me for help, I didnāt ask other people for help,ā said Folden. āAnd then all of a sudden Iāve got blood clots, and then I got bladder cancer and then enlarged prostate and then I lost my leg, and then the fire burned and I lost everything else.
āItās been a really rough couple of years.ā
Folden has been without a residence since the Bush Creek East wildfire destroyed his rental accommodation in Scotch Creek. Though housing has been lined up for him in Chase, it is still under construction and may not be completed for another four to six months. In the meantime, Folden has to be out of the Sorrento hotel where heās staying as of April 30.
āIāve been helped out by the grace of God and by others and that has brought me to where I am today which is, I have to move out of where Iām at at the end of this month and I have nowhere to go,ā said Folden.
Folden is one of three people in the same situation, who Salmon Arm resident Monica Gail Kriese has been working with, first through the Emergency Operations/Resiliency Centre and now on her own.
The other two are seniors who also lost their rental accommodations in the 2023 wildfire. Kriese says their support also comes to an end on April 30.
āThe uncertainty has been so hard on them and it feels like these last few have been forgotten because the public doesnāt know the situation that theyāre in,ā said Gail Kriese. āThese two other folks, they are seniors that donāt have any family at all in the area and they each have a cat. And that becomes a bit of a barrier and yet they shouldnāt have to lose their beloved. Theyāve lost so much.ā
Gail Kriese said the two seniors are also waiting for the Chase facility. Until then, the three face the prospect of being temporarily homeless ā compounding the existing trauma associated with their wildfire experiences.
āMy place was on fire 10 minutes after I left,ā said Folden of his evacuation. āIt was very, very scary. I was driving through walls of flame that were across the highway and I had no idea what was on either side.
āI couldnāt see, it was just a wall of flame. So I just hit the gas and headed about 60 kilometres an hour and went through it.ā
About two months before the wildfire, Foldenās leg was amputated in response to blood clots that led to peripheral vascular disease. When he evacuated, he took what belongings he could fit in his minivan, including his wheelchair. One of his challenges now is finding temporary accommodation that is wheelchair accessible.
āIām OK with staying in the area, but Iām also OK with living somewhere else until I can move into the building in Chase,ā said Folden.
āIām not being difficult or super picky or anything like that. The big barrier for me is my wheelchair. Iām trying to find a place that is wheelchair friendly and thatās nearly impossible because thereās always steps or the door is too narrow or itās in the basement orā¦ something that is not wheelchair friendly.
āI try to contact people on Facebook marketplace looking for some place to live, looking for a room to rent, a small studio apartment or something that I can live in for a few months until I move into Chase. And nobody responds to my messages.ā
Gail Kriese is looking for any suitable accommodation for the three. She said it has been suggested they look to a shelter, but stressed that is not a reasonable option.
Having exhausted his resources, Folden considers a shelter a possibility, provided itās accessible. He just needs something to get him through until the new place in Chase is ready to take him in.
āIāve called BC Housing and they say yes, your file is active and you are at the top of the list,ā said Folden. āWhich means that as soon as something comes available anywhere in B.C., theyāll call me and say you can move hereā¦since Iāve gotten confirmation that Iāll be living in that building when itās completed in Chase, anywhere I go now will just be a temporary housing situation to get me by.ā
Anyone who may be able to offer assistance may contact Gail Kriese at 250-833-6100.
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