An Alex family, recently evicted from their home, is seeking court mediation to settle its dispute with an alleged owner. Previous occupants of the temporary council-owned shelter returned and claimed ownership, and decided to evict the family that has been living in the unit. The eviction is considered illegal because the previous occupants are actually not owners and have no authority to evict anyone.

The shelters, located on 8^th Avenue and constructed of corrugated iron sheets, are part of a number of units set up to assist transients with living quarters. The current family of four, two of whom are children, returned to their temporary home to find their belongings thrown out and broken by men who claimed they were hired by the shelter’s owner. The family had been living in the home since 2012.

A representative of the court’s mediation services claimed the matter has been heating up on and off since 2012, and a counselor had already intervened to stop mediation attempts. The rooms and the land on which they are located belong to the Council, and are not supposed to be rented. However, some of the first occupants of the shelters consider themselves owners and have been renting the space out to others. The family recently evicted was paying money to the previous occupant who claims ownership erroneously.

As the dispute heads to mediation, the evicted family has found shelter with relatives on a temporary basis. Most believe that they will be able to return to the shelter or given comparable living quarters, despite the specific outcome of mediation.