“We are scared to death it’s just a matter of time before a little old lady gets bashed upside the head for her handbag,” says Leslie Macmichael, a Joseph Howe Manor resident. Macmichael has been living at Joseph Howe Manor, which is one of the listed provincially owned seniors’ buildings in Halifax, for the past seven years. She claims that in the last 24 months, she has seen people in her building that she never intended to. “There were a number of drug addicts all of the sudden here as tenants and they have been bringing in people from the encampments, young people, 16, 17, 18-year-olds coming in, staying in the apartments with them and drugs dealers as well a prostitutes,” says Macmichael. Macmichael says drug paraphernalia is often found outside the building. One resident picks them up in a sharps container and said he finds about nine a day. Macmichael says theft and drug dealing has become common there. “There’s intimidation and bullying of the seniors by – they are basically criminals a lot of them. We need it to stop and we have had no help from housing at all and we are at a loss of what to do. There are drug addicts and dealers living with grammy and grampy. That’s just not the way it should be,” says Macmichael. “Now there are people coming in from the encampments and there are people in situations there that are not good and nobody wants to see anyone homeless but we can’t deal with these people. We are left on our own, there is no assistance from housing.” The Nova Scotia government sent a statement to CTV News Atlantic saying they take tenant safety and wellbeing seriously. “Joseph Howe Manor is a seniors’ building. All tenants living in the building meet NSPHA’s eligibility requirements,” says Emily Wile, communications advisor with the Nova Scotia Provincial Housing Agency. “As in all our buildings, tenants with concerns about safety, security or the condition of the building are encouraged to contact their district office.” Many senior residents at Sir John Thompson Manor in Halifax have expressed similar struggles. “Over the winter there has been a lot of times where there are sleeping bags, suitcases and tenants have seen people going up there shooting up drugs,” says tenant Sean Walsh. Walsh brought his concerns to the government over phone and email in September. He says they told him they’d be in contact, but nothing came of it. He took to social media about a month ago to discuss safety and maintenance issues with his building. “I’ve seen it escalate worse and worse every month. These people need to be properly assessed and if they are not fit to be put into a regular building, they need to be put in treatment,” says Walsh. Walsh says half of their building doors don’t close properly and there are open spaces in the doorways. “We want our building back to what it was,” he says. “We want to be able to put stuff out. We want to be able to decorate for Christmas time. We can’t because it gets stolen. If we put ornaments up, they’re gone. “If we put a TV up in the common room, they’ll steal it, whatever they can get their hands on because I know addicts. I know what their main purpose is, it’s to get their next fix.” The provincial government says it takes reports of safety and cleanliness seriously and always does what it can to address issues that arise. “Sir John Thompson Manor has several security features in place, including daily on-site security from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. and security cameras at all entrances and exits, and at the elevator,” said Jodi Sibley, communications director with the Nova Scotia Provincial Housing Agency. “The building property manager is also regularly on site and does walk throughs and inspections. As for the building’s cleanliness, cleaners are on site every day to clean hallways, common areas, wipe down handrails and empty garbage receptacles, among other cleaning tasks. “There are no current records indicating complaints as described. We strongly encourage tenants to make us aware of issues, so we have a chance to address them and to also speak to their property manager about concerns they have. Any criminal activity should be reported to police.” Halifax West Armdale Coun. Shawn Cleary met with 25 to 30 residents of Sir John Thompson Manor and heard their concerns on Tuesday. Cleary says what he heard was quite concerning and scary. He learned of a variety of issues from safety to rodent infestations to major maintenance. “It was reported to me that a lady was robbed,” Cleary says. “She was in a wheelchair, and someone came up to her asking for some help. She opened up her purse and someone stole $200 from her purse, I was told. I have a meeting with a community response officer with HRM for this area to see what they have been hearing and what they are doing about some of these issues if they can. “We strive to have a welcoming and inclusive municipality and it’s disappointing what I got to see here. If you look at some of the doors that don’t open and close properly, a number of doors they showed me with gaps underneath where pests and rodents are coming in. It’s concerning regardless of who owns the building living in that kind of condition.” Cleary says the municipality does not have authority to make changes. He plans to bring forward these concerns to the provincial government, specifically the area MLA as well as the minister of housing. “I haven’t been successful in getting a meeting with a number of ministers previously, but I am hoping if nothing else just relay the concerns so they are hearing it as directly as possible through me as a conduit for the residents,” says Cleary. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
