On Wednesday we met a man who was acclaimed as the tenant rep for his building. Marc Charbonneau got off to a ripsnorting start; alas, when he began to make calls and send emails about the problems in his building, he was ignored by the Toronto Community Housing Corporation. So he sent a sharp, short note.
He quit.
Now meet Dennis Black, whose woes are equally troublesome, although perhaps more personal.
Dennis used to live in a TCHC building on Oak St. in Regent Park. He, too, was once a tenant rep.
"I was an advocate for improved security. We used to petition TCHC. We had meetings. We organized a neighbourhood watch – we'd walk the neighbourhood at night, and when people came to do drugs we'd call the cops. I'm not a rat. I just want to live safely."
In addition to the drugs, there were bugs and rats and roaches. But Dennis keeps neat. His apartment – he showed me the pix – was spic and span.
Love struck a couple of years ago. His dearest is a PhD candidate. She had a small apartment of her own, in a private house. When the baby came along, they decided to move in together. But her place wasn't suitable. His place? Too small, and too dangerous.
So Dennis – he's a freelance computer guy who repairs bikes and goes to school part-time – asked TCHC if he might transfer to a bigger apartment in another building, in order to gather his family around him.
No dice.
Because, if it is hard to get into TCHC housing – the waiting list is long and deep – it is harder, once you're in, to transfer to another unit. "They said I didn't have a good enough reason."
Since when is a man's family not a good reason?
They began to look for another place to live. His dearest studies at the university. They put their names on a list for married student accommodation.
They got lucky. They got a call – your name has come up, there's an apartment in a building on Charles St. Tell us now, do you want the place or not?
Irony alert: The building on Charles St. used to be owned by TCHC. Under different management, it is clean, and has 24-hour security.
Dennis did what you or I would do. He moved from Oak St. on Dec. 6, 2006.
In January 2008, he began to get calls and letters from a collection agency. The letters were vague but sharply pointed, claiming he owed $1,030. No explanation of why he owed the money, or to whom.
So Dennis did some digging and discovered he was being chased by TCHC for penalty money, owed because he did not give proper notice when he moved.
Like he'd had a choice.
He said, "Social housing should be about helping, not hurting. They should get this off my credit record – take me to court, or take this off my record."
Rules are rules, but common sense is trumps. I'm guessing TCHC rented his apartment in no time, given the housing shortage.
Here's what I don't get:
TCHC acts for us. If we could not help him, why would we want to hurt him? Dennis was a superior tenant, never late with his rent, who left his place better than when he found it. TCHC ought to have wished him well and sent him flowers. Instead, they sent a collection agency.
That's just wrong.
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