Windsor, Ont., homeless woman goes from sleeping in dog cage to new apartment

Minerva Treminio, who has spent many nights sleeping in a dog cage on the streets of Windsor, Ont., has finally found a home of her own.

After being homeless for eight months, Treminio was accepted into the city's public housing. When she read the letter informing her about her new apartment, tears fell from her face, splashing on the pages in her hands. 

• Survey of Windsor-Essex homeless population underway

Like Treminio, hundreds of people struggle to find a place to sleep in Windsor, according to the latest results of a survey by the city and the Homeless Coalition of Windsor Essex County.

More should be done to help people find permanent housing, Treminio told CBC News. 

"People should focus and find you housing real quick," she said. "I don't think I was treated fairly because I waited eight months, and no one should wait eight months for housing."

The city identified about 201 people living on the streets on any given day. On average, those people have not had stable housing for nearly two years.

"Five per cent of respondents indicated they were sleeping rough — sleeping in cars or in very precarious places or places that were uninhabitable," said Kelly Goz, the city's co-ordinator of housing administration and development.

Finally found a home 

Street Help sees many of its clients fighting to get into housing, with little success. Christine Wilson-Furlonger, who runs the shelter, says it is frustrating watching people struggle.

"The waiting list for housing is enormous," she said. "Just by the fact that you're homeless doesn't mean you automatically qualify."

All levels of government need to invest more in social housing, Wilson-Furlonger said, recognizing there just aren't enough units to house everyone. 

Hundreds of people learned about Treminio's story on Street Help's Facebook page when Wilson-Furlonger told the story using the alias Melinda for Treminio. Many followers responded by offering to help her get set up in her new home.

Chronic homelessness a problem

Officials with the Homeless Coalition of Windsor Essex County were surprised to learn about Treminio's story.

"It is both unfortunate and, quite honestly, shocking that someone in our community would be living under those conditions," said Angela Yakonich, community developer with the coalition. "We have many services to those who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness in our community to ensure that no one is sleeping under these types of conditions."

The survey, which was conducted in April, was presented to the city's social development committee this week.

About 74 per cent of respondents were adults between the ages of 25 and 64, while 21 per cent were between 15 and 24.

There were also seven families with children identified as being homeless.