{"id":434113,"date":"2026-01-26T10:29:23","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T10:29:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/434113\/"},"modified":"2026-01-26T10:29:23","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T10:29:23","slug":"calgary-mother-with-mobility-issues-struggles-to-find-suitable-housing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/434113\/","title":{"rendered":"Calgary mother with mobility issues struggles to find suitable housing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Finding the right place to live in any city can be challenging at the best of times. But for Jocelyn Dennis, finding somewhere where she and her young son can live that can also accommodate her mobility needs has been almost impossible.<\/p>\n

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\u201cYou want to be able to find a place that suits your practical needs,\u201d Dennis told Global News. \u201cFor me, it\u2019s more of finding a place where I can just do the basic things that everyone should be able to do, like shower and cook.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tJocelyn Dennis has needed a wheelchair since 2007 due to a rare autoimmune disorder.\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tJocelyn Dennis\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Dennis lost the ability to walk back in 2007 due to a rare autoimmune disorder called Acute Disseminated Encephalo Myelitis. Apart from the basic requirements of a two-bedroom home or unfurnished apartment that allows cats, she needs a zero-barrier shower in order to be independent. Dennis says there are currently fewer than five properties that fit that bill across all of Calgary. And while some of those few postings do claim to be accessible, the reality is they aren\u2019t.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThere was one guy, he advertised his condo as wheelchair accessible,\u201d Dennis said. \u201cI go there, and there\u2019s a three-inch, four-inch lip to get into the shower, and the shower\u2019s not even big enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tMany residental rentals don\u2019t have the appropriate amenities, such as barrier-free showers, required for Jocelyn Dennis\u2019s day-to-day needs.\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tDrew Stremick \/ Global News\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Dennis says she\u2019s exhausted every option, looking at all the potential rental sites, contacting Calgary Housing, as well as other charities and non-profits that help individuals with mobility issues like her. And with the number of days she\u2019s allowed to remain in her home running out, she\u2019s getting worried.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI\u2019ve come as far as I can go, and now what? I have to just throw in the towel and go live in the hospital? Give my son up?\u201d Dennis said, stifling tears. \u201cI\u2019m in university right now. I\u2019m one practicum away from becoming a social worker\u2026 I moved to Calgary to have a better life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tJocelyn Dennis has been looking for accessible accommodation since the summer of 2025.\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tJocelyn Dennis\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

The provincial government<\/a> offers grants to assist homeowners and landlords with some of the costs of making homes more accessible, but they tend to not go far enough.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe problem we have is that the RAMP funds are not really enough to create meaningful change, architectural change in folk\u2019s homes,\u201d said Krista Davidson Flint CEO with Accessible Housing Calgary<\/a>. \u201cBut it (funding) has increased over the last year.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\tTrending Now\n\t<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t3 in 10 Albertans would vote for independence \u2014 but only half committed to separating: poll\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\tRead the full transcript of Carney\u2019s speech to World Economic Forum\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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Davidson Flint continues, saying the overall low supply of homes that meet the needs of those with disabilities is another challenge. \u201cWe (Alberta) are also only one of two provinces in Canada that don\u2019t have a current accessibility legislation in our building code\u2026 It is a huge need to combine accessibility and affordability.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tOperated by Accessible Housing Calgary, Inclusio was built to meet the needs of those living with mobility issues.\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tDrew Stremick \/ Global News\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Accessible Housing Calgary operates Inclusio, a 45-unit supportive living complex designed for those who need accessible accommodation. From wider hallways to voice activated switches, the four-storey complex overlooking Confederation Park has been serving Calgarians for a number of years. But there are limits, Inclusio only has studio suites, and even if they didn\u2019t have a wait-list, Dennis and her son wouldn\u2019t be eligible.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tHoping to soon be a social worker, Jocylen Dennis is encouraging others with mobility issues to speak up about the challenges they face.\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tDrew Stremick \/ Global News\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Dennis isn\u2019t giving up though, and she is speaking up, in part, because she knows she\u2019s not the only one struggling. She hopes her story will serve as a catalyst to start conversations and inspire change.<\/p>\n

\u201cStart reaching out, and start opening up of what accessibility looks like,\u201d Dennis said. \u201cI do think we\u2019re doing a lot better when it comes to accessibility, and I think there\u2019s definitely a lot further to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tMore on Calgary
\n\t\t\tMore videos\n\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t&copy 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Finding the right place to live in any city can be challenging at the best of times. But…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":434114,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[49040,45,49,180494,48,180493],"class_list":["post-434113","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-accessibility","tag-business","tag-ca","tag-calgary-housing","tag-canada","tag-mobility-issues"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/434113","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=434113"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/434113\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/434114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=434113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=434113"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=434113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}