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A Place to Sleep, A Place to Create

This morning I had a conversation with a friend about money, housing, and sleep. Neither of us could sleep, which somehow seemed fitting.

I told my friend that if I had my own place, I would probably get up in the middle of the night and paint or write. Creativity doesn't always happen between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Sometimes ideas arrive at 2 a.m. Sometimes inspiration appears when the world is quiet.

In Mexico, I can do that. If I had a small studio apartment of my own, I could do that here too.

Instead, we found ourselves talking about the reality of housing costs. A modest studio apartment can easily cost $2,000 a month in Vancouver. The number sounds shocking, but it has become normal.

In 1997, I paid about $630 a month in rent. That felt expensive at the time. Today, many people pay three times that amount while earning wages that have not kept pace with the rising cost of living.

Money itself seems different now.

A million dollars once represented unimaginable wealth. Today, headlines discuss billionaires, trillion-dollar companies, and wealth on a scale that is difficult for most people to comprehend. Meanwhile, many people struggle to afford a room of their own.

Housing is often discussed as an economic issue, but it is also a human issue.

A home is more than four walls and a roof. It is a place to sleep safely, recover from stress, create art, write stories, learn new skills, and dream about the future.

Without that foundation, life becomes much harder.

Perhaps the housing crisis is not only about affordability. Perhaps it is also about dignity, stability, and the opportunity to thrive instead of merely survive.

Reflective Questions

1. What does "home" mean to you beyond shelter?
2. How have housing costs changed during your lifetime?
3. Do you think wages and assistance rates have kept pace with the cost of living?
4. How does having a safe place to live affect creativity, learning, and mental health?
5. What changes would help make housing more affordable for future generations?