UPDATE: Art has now found a place to live, but is still searching for a job.
It’s been a tough year for Art Soper. The 66-year-old, currently living in Kemptville, says he’s got nowhere to go come January 1.
Soper was laid off in 2018, after 17 years spent working for the same company. He’s been searching for work ever since, often showing up at CSE Consulting the minute the doors open in the morning.
Soper noted he started out looking for work in his field, as a quality manager, but is now applying for customer service jobs.
He explained his pension just isn’t cutting it, at $1,400 per month. Soper is in a precarious housing situation, renting week to week, and needs to find a new home after Christmas.
He says he hopes to land a job before he moves so he can search for places closer to where he’s working, whether it be Kemptville, Prescott, Brockville or Ottawa.
Soper noted the Salvation Army has been a lifeline, providing food and other resources when he needs them. He says they’re wonderful people and you feel better after you talk to them.
Anyone with housing or job prospects can contact Soper directly by calling 613-620-5334 or emailing [email protected].