Single Dad Facing Eviction

Описание: SAANICH - On Christmas Day, Dan Byron would like to be sitting beneath the tree with his 3-year old son Brendan and 8-year old Kailee, but as it stands now, the family won't even have a place to live.

If he can't come up with $216 to pay his rent within 8 days, Byron will be evicted from his low income housing complex in Saanich, and he also owes $260 to BC Hydro to keep the lights on.

Byron says he never imagined he'd be in this position and right before Christmas. He's been layed off from three jobs over the past year, but still had enough money saved to pay this month's rent and electric bill -- at least until last week. "On my last day of the last job I got layed off of, I came home from work, my back door was open, the drawers were open" he explains.

He looked in the first aid kit where he had the $475 hidden, and the money was gone. "At that point I didn't know what to do, I was like just wow. I phoned police and made a report" says Byron.

Saanich police have verified the file exists, but from there Byron didn't know where else to turn. His EI claim won't be processed for weeks, so he posted a plea to the UsedVictoria website - and swallowed his pride. "One thing I've always done really well is and I take pride in the fact I'm a really good dad. I'm a really good provider, we've always had a happy home my kids are amazing they're so good" he says.

It was another dad who responded first - Dan Peirce - who checked Byron's story, accessed his BC Hydro bill, saw the eviction slip, and then satisfied Byron was legit, got to work. "When I saw the ages of the kids, and the small amount of money he needed to help keep him going, and the most important thing is to try to help him get a job" says Peirce.

Little Brendan quickly took a liking to him, and Peirce is rounding up money from friends and co-workers he'll be paying directly to Byron's landlord and to BC Hydro. "It's surreal this is actually happening, incredible feeling" says Byron.

And a step toward the Christmas future he is hoping for... becoming a reality.