Kitchener, Ont. mother’s hunt for barrier-free housing met with nothing but barriers

A woman may lose custody of her son because she can’t find affordable and barrier-free housing. CTV’s Spencer Turcotte explains.

CTV News first met Rebecca Dooley and her son Noor in January after their search for barrier-free housing hit a wall.

The pair currently live in an accessible and affordable housing unit in Kitchener, Ont. thanks to the local non-profit KW Habilitation.

“But it’s not barrier-free,” Dooley pointed out.

As Noor gets older, the barriers in the unit have grown with him. The 11-year-old’s bed is now in the living room because he is too heavy for Dooley to carry, and he requires a mechanical lift that doesn’t fit through the bedroom doorway. Dooley also has a special chair that Noor sits in so she can shower him daily. Even so, the mother-son duo has quickly outgrown the unit.

They spent more than five years on the Region of Waterloo’s barrier-free housing waitlist before getting an encouraging call from a builder not associated with the region.

“He’s like, ‘If you’re able to wait until towards the end of the year, we’re putting in a brand-new building. I’m willing to make a two-bedroom unit fully barrier-free if you’re willing to wait until the end of the year,’” Dooley said.

The builder also offered the two-bedroom unit at $1,800/month – a much more affordable option compared to the market value for similar units of that size.

But Dooley would still need some financial assistance from the region, so she emailed them in hopes they’d be able to help, and so she could free up a spot on the lengthy waitlist.

“The email basically stated that because it wasn’t part of their catalogue of housing, they’re not willing to help with subsidy,” she explained. “So, at this stage, I’m frantic.”

An email from the region to CTV News said, in part: “The Region of Waterloo coordinates access to affordable housing through a centralized waitlist where residents who are next on the list are matched with units as they become available.”

They added that the region continues to build new accessible and barrier-free units, including two new buildings in early 2026, which will have 30 accessible units for tenants matched from the centralized waitlist.

As for Dooley, she is now left to make a near-impossible decision – move into the new unit without having the means to afford food and necessities or stay in their current unit which is increasingly unsuitable for Noor. The latter option also meant remaining on a waitlist, which Dooley believes she is near the bottom of.

If she can’t find a new home, and soon, Dooley said there’s a good chance Noor will end up having to go into a permanent care facility.

“In which case, there’s a possibility I would lose custody of my son, even though I’ve done nothing wrong,” Dooley said.