Photo: Contributed

Glady Mani, a Penticton nurse, was shocked when potential landlords turned her away because of her profession.

A Penticton nurse was shocked this week when she was denied by potential landlords who referenced her job at the hospital.

Glady Mani, an intensive care nurse at Penticton Regional Hospital, agreed to help an older friend who has trouble with English use Facebook to search for an apartment. 

But when she started reaching out to people who had advertised their places, using her personal profile that lists her job at PRH, she was shocked at the negative responses. 

"They wouldn't even ask me any questions. One person said 'Hell no.' Second person: 'You work in the hospital, don't talk to me,'" Mani said, adding a text message exchange with one landlord got even more hurtful but decided there was no need to share the details. 

A third responded more politely, explaining she is pregnant and did not want to take any risks. 

Mani says it all has to do with the COVID-19 crisis, but calls the discrimination unfair and hurtful. She was not searching for her own apartment, but can imagine how difficult it would be if she were. 

"It was a shock. I was hurt so much, it's not the reaction I would have expected from the society at this time," Mani said. 

"On one side, at 7 o'clock, everyone claps for us and you appreciate what we do, but the other side is a society like this who doesn't even want to talk to us, or come close to us, or don't even want us in their house."

She said there is a misconception that healthcare workers will spread COVID-19 to the community — in fact, she said, it's very unlikely. 

"People have to trust us. We try to protect ourselves first because we have to go back to our families who are in high risk of getting this infection. We would not go spreading this out in society."

Her friend was eventually able to find housing.