An unexpected tragedy turned from bad to worse for a Sidney-based family who are being evicted from their subsidized housing complex after the death of their mother and partner.
On the evening of October 11th, Agnes Ratcliffe was found deceased in her home of a sudden heart attack at the age of 37-years-old.
According to her sister, Mary-Ellen Lundgren, Ratcliffe had some risk factors for heart disease, but her death still came as a shock to her family and friends.
Now, a GoFundMe has been launched for those she left behind including her partner, Bruce Steinberg and their 3-year-old son Bruno.
“Agnes was tragically predeceased by her eldest daughter, Audrey, in November 2022 and our little sister, Melinda, in June,” Lundgren wrote on the fundraiser page.
“This has been an awful year of losses for our family and this loss is especially earth shattering for children who will have to navigate a world without a mummy, after already losing a sister.”
After this initial world-altering news hit Steinberg, he was dealt another blow in the form of an eviction notice for him and his son Bruno.
On Thursday, October 19th, Steinberg was informed that because his name wasn’t technically on the lease for the subsidized housing unit himself, Ratcliffe and their young son were living in, they were being evicted.
“Bruce hadn’t yet been added back to the tenancy agreement since he and Agnes reconciled after a four month separation,” Lundgren wrote in an update.
“Because of this, the subsidized housing office has said they’re evicting them.”
“They will literally choose to make a 3-year-old who just lost his mother homeless, rather than changing the tenancy to the remaining parent,” she added.
Victoria Buzz reached out to the Capital Region Housing Corporation (CRHC) for comment on why they had evicted Steinberg and his son.
Their response simply stated that the CRHC doesn’t comment on tenant-related issues due to privacy concerns.
Steinberg said that he found out that his income as a part-time dishwasher was too much to be eligible for subsidized housing.
As of this publication, the GoFundMe started for Steinberg and his son stands at nearly $2,70 of their $5,000 goal.
Lundgren says the funds raised will go toward the family’s clothing, food and shelter as well as long-term needs.
She hopes that it will garner enough money to put some money away for a post-secondary fund.
“I wish I wasn’t creating a GoFundMe today,” Lundgren wrote. “But here I am, asking that you help with the things that come after losing a loved one so suddenly and unexpectedly.”
