My Door Was Broken During a Medical Emergency. Months Later, I May Be Homeless Today.

By Randy Millis
May 11, 2026

I never imagined I would spend the weeks leading up to my 60th birthday fighting to avoid homelessness through emergency court applications.

Yet that is exactly where I am.

As I write this on May 11, 2026, I may lose my housing at 1:00 p.m. today unless something changes.

This did not begin because I stopped paying rent.

It did not begin because I damaged property.

It did not begin because I refused to follow rules.

Tenants are expected to report maintenance issues when they arise.

That is exactly what I did.

It began after a medical emergency resulted in first responders forcing entry into my apartment—and the damage from that event was never properly resolved.

That unresolved damage triggered months of security concerns, environmental instability, increased utility costs, legal disputes, and eventually a fight to avoid homelessness.

This is how it happened.

October 2025: A Medical Emergency Changed Everything

In late October 2025, I experienced a medical emergency that required first responders to force entry into my apartment.

They did what they needed to do.

I do not blame emergency responders.

But the forced entry damaged my suite’s primary fire-rated entry door.

That damage should have been permanently repaired quickly.

It wasn’t.

Instead, I was left dealing with a compromised door that created ongoing safety concerns.

After the forced entry:

my door no longer properly locked

significant gaps formed around the door

hallway light became visible through the door

smoke intrusion risks increased

hallway noise became far more audible

privacy was reduced

outside air continuously entered my suite

My door has not properly locked since that emergency.

This Was Part of a Larger Maintenance Pattern

The damaged door was not the first maintenance issue I reported during nearly five years in this building.

Examples included:

a leaking bathtub stopper identified during a one-year inspection that was never replaced

purchasing my own replacement plug and never being reimbursed

being told to replace smoke detector batteries myself despite 10-foot ceilings

being told to call my own plumber when a defective toilet was malfunctioning

flooring that was temporarily taped instead of permanently repaired

living roughly two weeks without a functioning heater after a heating failure

Over nearly five years, maintenance often felt delayed, deferred, or incomplete.

The damaged door became the most serious example.

Environmental Instability

The damaged door created constant air exchange between my unit and the hallway.

Humidity levels dropped.

The suite became harder to heat.

Harder to cool.

Harder to stabilize.

I eventually purchased a humidifier because the dryness became so severe.

Since purchasing it, it has run continuously day and night and has only been turned off long enough to refill it.

At one point, I added roughly eight litres of water into the air over a relatively short period and still struggled to maintain stable humidity levels.

That gives some sense of how severe the constant air loss became.

This increased smoke intrusion risks and allowed significantly more hallway noise into my home.

The door stopped functioning as a proper barrier.

My Health Was Also Affected

I live with multiple chronic health conditions that made this housing instability significantly harder to navigate.

Low humidity is a known trigger for my chronic migraines.

My physician formally documented concerns related to dust, fumes, and environmental triggers connected to eventual door replacement.

At one point, a contractor told me the replacement work would involve repeatedly entering and exiting my unit over roughly a week while replacing at least the full door and frame.

That raised legitimate concerns about dust, fumes, and whether I could safely remain in the unit.

A second medical letter documented:

chronic migraines

insulin-dependent diabetes

continuous glucose monitoring

insulin pump use

mobility limitations requiring both a wheelchair and walker

My physician warned that sudden involuntary displacement could significantly worsen my health.

At various points I was also dealing with migraines, vomiting, exhaustion, and very limited sleep.

My Hydro Costs Tripled

Before the door damage:

~300 kWh/month

After the unresolved damage:

~900 kWh/month

I attempted to recover increased heating costs and mitigation expenses through the Residential Tenancy Branch.

That monetary claim was denied.

My Rent Was Always Paid

I was never behind on rent.

I never owed rent arrears.

My rent was consistently paid on time.

I live on disability assistance.

My support includes:

$983.50 disability support

$500 shelter support

$60 dietary allowance

$52 transportation supplement

Because of rising hydro costs, the province now deducts:

$135 monthly for FortisBC arrears

My payment has now been reduced.

I was also provided with a positive rental reference.

That directly contradicts the idea that this situation happened because I was an irresponsible tenant.

The Legal Process Became Increasingly Complex

I sought enforcement after the door remained unresolved.

Approximately four days after filing for enforcement, I was served with a one-month notice ending my tenancy for cause.

That dramatically escalated the situation.

From my perspective, the unresolved repair issues that led me to seek enforcement were increasingly being overshadowed by a process that framed me as the problem.

I also received multiple notices that I believed were invalid because they failed to comply with required service timelines under British Columbia law, including three-day deeming requirements for certain forms of service.

That issue later became central to my judicial review.

Earlier in my tenancy, I had proposed formalizing email communication because email had long been our normal communication method.

That later became far more complicated than I anticipated.

Separate issues were also raised regarding security cameras that had existed for most of my tenancy and mobility concerns related to my wheelchair use even though I did not require unit modifications and the building already has an elevator and accessible entry doors.

Documentation Became a Full-Time Job

By May, I had logged approximately 374 hours dealing with housing disputes, legal preparation, evidence preservation, housing searches, and survival logistics.

Supreme Court

Columbian Centennial Housing Society argued:

“By comparison, the applicant is deprived of its legal rights to its property, and potentially a new tenant is being denied housing.”

And:

“The 10-day stay is effectively jumping the queue and preventing the Society from fulfilling its mission to house those in need.”

My response:

“The stay preserves the status quo. CCHS faces a delay. I face loss of housing, medical instability, and imminent homelessness.”

While Fighting in Court, I Was Sent Move-Out Instructions

While fighting emergency legal proceedings, I was simultaneously sent move-out cleaning demands, inspection requirements, and damage schedules.

This occurred while I was dealing with illness, mobility limitations, and possible homelessness.

Today

I still do not know where I may be sleeping tonight.

I may lose my housing at 1:00 p.m. today.

And it all began with a door that should have been fixed months ago.