A van isn鈥檛 the best home, for either a person or an umbrella cockatoo with a fondness for 1950s rock music.
Langley鈥檚 Diane Miller has been living in a van for the past several months, one of many local seniors who have been forced to live in a vehicle or a trailer because they simply cannot find anywhere affordable and safe to live.
Living with Miller is Rocky, a 28-year-old umbrella cockatoo, and her constant companion for the last 13 years.
Rocky likes people 鈥� he will happily step onto the arm or shoulder of someone he鈥檚 just met 鈥� he speaks and says hello, will steal people鈥檚 hats right off their heads, and he likes dancing to Elvis, especially 鈥楯ailhouse Rock.鈥�
Start playing the King, and he鈥檒l bob his head, raise his feathered crest, and dart back and forth cheerfully.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not a good environment, but I don鈥檛 want to give my bird up,鈥� Miller said of living in a van with Rocky. When she talks about the cockatoo, it brings a smile to her face.
Miller said her troubles with housing and finances date back to 2017. She left an abusive relationship, and since then has lived in a variety of places, including women鈥檚 transitional housing, motel rooms, and rented rooms in homes with multiple tenants. In some of them, she suffered thefts or even physical attacks.
For many years, Miller was a stained glass artist, creating pieces that were installed around the Lower Mainland, and instructed at Kwantlen Polytechnic.
鈥淚鈥檇 still be doing it today if I could,鈥� Miller said.
She has also worked as a hairdresser and doing landscaping work.
But one of her favourite things to do was taking Rocky into schools and seniors homes. She visited many Langley residences, and said that Rocky could bring a smile to the faces of seniors, even those suffering from memory loss and Alzheimer鈥檚. She was featured in .
She also took him to major events like the Cloverdale Rodeo, or was available for birthday parties.
Over the last few years, her income has been seriously diminished. Miller said she is living primarily on Old Age Security at present, and has had problems with overdraft charges and identity theft.
At age 67, and living with chronic pain, she wants to work and find somewhere stable for her and Rocky to live.
鈥淚 want to work with my bird,鈥� she said, whether that means film and TV productions, or in-person appearances.
鈥淚鈥檓 not managing well with this homelessness, it鈥檚 expensive,鈥� Miller said.
Keeping the van going and just surviving costs her about $1,000 a month, she noted.
鈥淚 need housing,鈥� Miller said. But with the cost of rent and her financial issues, she hasn鈥檛 been able to find anywhere decent she and Rocky can live.
The number of seniors living in their cars around Langley, or even on the streets, is growing, according to Wendy Rachwalski, manager of community services at Langley Senior Resources Society (LSRS).
鈥淲e鈥檝e got people living under bypasses that are seniors,鈥� she said.
The LSRS is working to help people when it can, including through a donation-funded Seniors in Need program. But they simply don鈥檛 have the funding to help everyone, and neither do other Langley-based aid groups.
鈥淲e need immediate responses now to support them,鈥� Rachwalski said of seniors without homes or living in their cars. 鈥淲e need more subsidized rent geared to income.鈥�
Both short- and long-term solutions are required, said Rachwalski.
鈥淎nd it feels like nothing鈥檚 moving in either direction quick enough.鈥�
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