Regina refugee facing eviction from public housing unit

A refugee in Regina is caught in a web of government red tape that could leave him homeless. He is facing eviction from a public housing unit because he doesn’t yet qualify for a social insurance number and other documentation.

Mousen is a refugee who worries that a sheriff could come knocking on his door any day now to evict him.

“I’m terrified. I’ve been homeless like maybe four times,” he said.

He arrived in Canada as a student but had to drop out due to health issues. He can’t safely return home where he was twice jailed.

“It’s because being gay where I came from is illegal and I’ve been through many things there that required me to leave there at 17 years old and come to Canada,” he explained.

Mousen’s permanent residency pending, the Ministry of Social Services has placed him in a government housing unit but he says Regina Housing is trying to evict him over paperwork requirements.

“I haven’t heard back from CRA or RCC. My application is being reviewed but Regina Housing will not wait,” he said.

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An eviction application and appeals have twice been heard in court. A judge’s decision is pending after the latest hearing this week. If he loses, he’s back on the street.

“The sheriff told me that they will come right away because they marked my eviction as a serious circumstance,” he said.

In a written statement, the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation says, “All tenants are required to provide current income information to the housing authority.”

Mousen says Social Services had done that on his behalf but Regina Housing wants a tax assessment notice which he does not yet qualify to receive.

He doesn’t know what will happen if he is evicted but he says he is glad to be in a city and in a country where he feels safe.