As he surveys the pile of his belongings, George Wolfe remains oddly optimistic.
“This is not the end of the world,” he says with a smile. “This will pass. It’s only stuff.”
The stuff – 125 oil paintings, two mattresses, a book shelf, bicycle, an electric organ, lamp shades, a fishing net and over a dozen boxes – lie on the lawn in front of the townhouse in Mayo Place, where he lived for 17 years.
Wolfe was evicted from his home Tuesday after a dispute with his landlord.
The 64-year-old and his son are now living at the Salvation Army’s Caring Place. Their grey tabby cat Cody is being cared for at Katie’s Place.
Laid-off from his job in May, Wolfe has survived on a pension and employment insurance since then. He hopes to find a place to live by the end of the week, but has nowhere to store his possessions until he finds a new home.
“I’ve worked since I was 16,” said Wolfe. “This shouldn’t be happening.”
A kind neighbour stored a few valuables in his trailer, but the rest of Wolfe’s stuff remains strewn across a lawn in the townhouse complex.
Wolfe has also been offering the possessions to people for free.
“This could happen to anybody,” he says.