A Medicine Hat home, severely damaged in the flooding of 2013, has been deemed ineligible for funding from the provincial Disaster Recovery Program due in part to one family’s inability to predict the future.
Jamil Sayegh, a 25-year-old resident of Medicine Hat, suffers from chronic pain which has left him unable to work. Jamil’s disability income barely covered the cost of renting an apartment, so his parents generously decided to purchase a $55,000, one-bedroom home for their son. Unfortunately, Sam Sayegh, and his wife Julia, failed to include Jamil on the home’s title.
The Sayeghs could not imagine a scenario where Jamil’s exclusion from the title of the Queen Street home could become an issue until disaster arrived in June of 2013.
“The neighbour came over and told me, he’s like ‘You guys better pack your stuff and get out of here’,” recollects Jamil. “Ii was like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me’."
The streets in Jamil’s neighbourhood were underwater and the damage to the home was extensive. To this day, the home bears the marks of the flood waters.
“Looking at that water pipe, you can see the browning where the water came up,” said Jamil.” That’s like six feet high.”
A year later, Jamil remains locked out of his home as the structure has been deemed unsuitable for human habitation.
“I didn’t expect anything like this to happen. I was hoping to get back in right away.”
Jamil’s parents are left paying for his rent at his current residence while continuing to make mortgage payments at the Queen Street home, without assistance from the Provincial Disaster Program. The Sayeghs do not qualify for funding as the home is considered to be the family’s secondary residence because of the names on the title.
“When I bought the house for my boy, I should have looked into a crystal ball, saw there would be a flood one day and I should have him on the title,” said Sam.
Patrick Gall with Provincial Municipal Affiars says he sympathizes with the plight of the Sayeghs.
“We realize there are unique situations and we work closely to develop and we work closely to try and get them the maximum amount of assistance under the guidelines,” explains Gall, “but we are tied to the guidelines in the sense that we are responsible to the taxpayers.”
“We encourage all DRP (Disaster Recovery Program) applicants, if they feel it’s necessary, to file an appeal.
Gall says appeals have a success rate of roughly 50 per cent.
Sam and Julia say they have submitted a letter from their lawyer to the DRP which proves the home belongs to Jamil, but they await an appeal decision. The Sayeghs say the process has them drowning in paperwork and, financially, they will not be able to continue paying rent and making mortgage payments for much longer.
With files from CTV's Jamie Mauracher
