Living in a motel, this 22-year-old is desperate to find a place to rent

At 22-years-old Joshua McClement thought he'd be in college or preparing for a career not living in a motel, unable to find a home for himself to rent.

Though he had an apartment before, things took a turn for McClement in March of 2020when the pandemic shuttered the bar where he worksas a DJ and stage manager.

At the time, he had to leave the apartment he was in because he wasn't sure if he could afford it any longer. McClement said he moved in with his mother but soon felt he was overstaying his welcome.

"I felt that I was impeding her way of life, because for one person to come and live," he said."No good. Especially putting your friends and family through that situation."

Through tears, McClementtold CBC Newsexactly how it feels having to move into a motel for $350 per week without a permanent home unsure.

"You don't know if you're going to be back to work or if you can even make it back to work. You just don't know," he said.

You're turning [away] people with good money, good references, good places of work you're turning them away- Joshua McClement

With personal savings andEmployment Insurance, McClementtried to get back into the rental market. But in a year, a lot haschanged.

Although he'sgot a budget ofabout $1,000 to $1,200 for monthly rent and can offer first and last month McClement said he's been denied many times, with landlords demandinginformation like where he's from, where he works, what hours he works andcharacter references. He said he's made depositson rental units, only to have them returned.

He said he's even been denied once because he works afternoons.

WATCH | 22-year-old Joshua McClement is struggling to find somewhere to live:

Living full time in a motel

3 years ago

Duration 1:12

Joshua McClement says he keeps getting rejected by landlords even though he has enough money to afford rentals.

Real estate agents and other expertssay a shortage of rental houses has become particularly acute in some areas of Ontario, which, like much of Canada, isdealing with housing affordability issues. The problem could get worse as new families are created or arrive through immigration.

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation data also shows average rents for all housing types in the Ontario cities ofOttawa, Toronto, Hamilton, London and Windsor went up between 4.7 and 8.4 per cent in 2020even as vacancies increased in nearly all those cities. (Hamilton was the exception.)

Another factor for those looking to rent are bidding wars becoming increasingly common in Ontario.

McClement said he's tried renting through private landlords, management companies, house-searching agencies and even has someone mentoring him but alwaysgets declined and is not given a reason why. However, he said it's hard for people on EI.

"People need to be less choosey with their rentals," said McClement.

"There's people that are trying out here. People that are stuck in motel rooms, people that are stuck out on the streets. You're turning [away] people with good money, good references, good places of work you're turning them away."

McClement said he sees people even younger than him on the streets of downtown Windsor all the time, in his same predicament. He said people "just like him" are turned away and end up having nowhere to go.

He hopes the government will step in to mandate affordable housing for more people. In the meantime, McClement is pushing forward.

"I'm healthy, I can keep looking, you just have to keep trying you can't give up," he said.

"And to anyone out there who sees this don't give up. If a 22-year-old can make it this far, you can too."