HALIFAX -- A Halifax mother of five displaced by an arson two weeks ago says the options the province has offered for housing don't meet her family's needs.
"For the last two weeks, me and my five kids have been staying in one hotel room, and every single day I've been fighting with housing to be replaced, to be relocated," said Shealynn DeWolfe.
The Aug. 4 fire in the Halifax community of Mulgrave Park forced 10 people from their homes and sent one woman to hospital.
Shawna Clairise Hastings, 28, has been charged with arson in connection with the fire.
The Canadian Red Cross helped the four households that were displaced, and the Metropolitan Regional Housing Authority said they were working with all tenants to provide them with appropriate housing.
But two weeks later, DeWolfe and her five children -- all under the age of 11 -- are still living out of a hotel.
She says they have been offered a few properties, including a three-bedroom in the same building as the fire, but they don't meet her needs with five children.
"I just want to be comfortable with my kids," DeWolfe said. "I don't want to have to relive something traumatic that happened to us. I don't want to have to be a far distance from where they go to school, we just want to be comfortable and start over I guess."
When she identified properties that would fit, she was told there was a wait list.
"Why are you even mentioning a wait list to me? When I was forced out of my home with five small kids, and it wasn't my fault?" DeWolfe said.
A fundraiser for the victims of the fire has reached over $50,000, but DeWolfe doesn't know when that money will be coming, and it could cause other problems.
"Once I receive that money, I'm not able to receive over a certain amount. If I do, there will be some issues with my cheque that I live off of monthly," DeWolfe said.
In a statement, Nova Scotia's departments of housing and community services say:
“While we cannot speak to any individual case due to privacy, generally speaking, there are policies in place that allow additional funds, including GoFundMe donations, to be spent on necessary items without affecting eligibility for income assistance. (for example: shelter, basic needs, replacement of household items etc.) In all cases, it is important that clients work closely with their caseworkers to ensure their unique needs and circumstances are well understood.”
DeWolfe says she just hopes her children can have a new home soon.